The Neon Ghosts of Gotham
by retrospaace
Summary: Leslie Marvy is a college student who happens to be good with machines and has her life planned out. Becoming friends with vigilante superheroes was not one of those plans. Slight!AU & Slowburn!Jason Todd/OC.
1. One

**One**

 **Disclaimer:** I Only own Leslie, the plot, and any other ocs.

 **Warnings:** None

* * *

Gotham certainly was… different.

The weather was warmer, something I couldn't be sure that I liked or not. People swarmed the sidewalks, swaddled in light jackets as they went about their day. I dimly regretted my own heavily insulated coat. I tugged slightly at it, grimacing as it clung to my frame like a second skin due to the sweat that had accumulated during my brief foray out of the car. Having lived in Colorado Springs, Colorado my whole life, I hadn't expected it to be as warm and balmy as it was at the moment, and I had foolishly not prepared accordingly to the difference in temperature. Despite my discomfort, I refused to take off my coat and continued to study my new surroundings.

The sky appeared to be a dull gray color, something I took a small comfort in. It reminded me of the short winter days back in Colorado, and I was secretly glad I would have some reminder of home. Dotting the skyline stood tall and menacing skyscrapers. I found myself fascinated as I took in the dark behemoths, a sense of awe prickling at the back of my head. Lowering my gaze further, the pollution that I could only associate as being a byproduct of city life, created a slight haze-or maybe it was fog?- that swirled around the lines of traffic. Car horns constantly went of as drivers cut each other off in a ruthless race to some unknown finish line. It was another thing I wasn't used to.

"Leslie, are you okay?"

I blinked and looked over at my frazzled mother as she stumbled out of her car. She wasn't exactly the most graceful person on Earth and being cramped up in small space for 15 hours was certainly no help to her balance. My father, a thin and partially balding man, slipped out of the passenger side and peered worriedly over the hood of the car. When my mother steadied herself, my father visibly relaxed and made his way to the trunk of the car.

Realizing that I had yet to reply, I hastily plastered a smile onto my face. "Yeah mom, I'm totally fine. Just you know, taking in the sights and sounds."

My mother chuckled as she straightened out her clothing and looked around the area as well. I could tell that the smile on her face was strained, and that she had a disproving glint in her eyes. Gotham was too dirty of a city-both morally and physically I internally mused- and it was not up to the standards she set up for her darling baby girl. I felt a twinge of protectiveness as I anticipated her to voice her disapproval. Gotham, while it wasn't the prettiest of places, or the safest, it did hold a particularly good University, and I had spent the past year and a half working my butt off so I could get into their robotics program.

Before my mother could speak however, My father came around from behind the car and joined us on the sidewalk with a suitcase in each hand. My mother leaned over and snatched one of the suitcases from my father and turned to give it to me. I accepted it with no complaints.

"Well we finally made it," my father remarked as he surveyed the area.

"It's… dirtier than I expected. I guess that if this is what you want Leslie, I can't exactly complain...though I still wish you'd reconsider Gotham of all places," my mother said with an underlining of the disapproval I had expected.

"It is. What I want. I wanted to go here, remember? It's got some of the best robotics professors in the country, mom. It also has Wayne Enterprises like down the street," I hastily defended.

My parents had always lived in the relatively spread out city of Colorado Springs, and when they both settled down to raise a gaggle of children, they both fully expected those children to love it as much as they did and never leave. When my older brother, Daniel, graduated from high school though, their plans were ruined as he moved halfway across the country to San Diego. While my parents took a few months to get used to the fact that their little flock of kids might not want to live in Colorado their whole lives, they eventually warmed up the idea and begrudgingly accepted it. Of course, I should've expected that they'd raise a fuss over my own plans.

Ever since I was little, I've had a fascination with all things technological. The subtle sound of the constant electricity humming within a machine always calmed me down. I could spend hours tinkering with my laptop, and I seemed to have a natural penchant for fixing any of the electrical problems in the house since the age of thirteen. My family found it odd, but as the years passed, they chose to ignore the fact that their second eldest child wasn't quite reason I say this is because of one incident back when I turned twelve.

The TV, normally an ornery beast that barely worked half the time, often times calmed down in my presence and worked for the hours I spent watching it. It would be slightly static filled as Daniel or Nicholas, or Nicky (depending on who you were talking to), my younger brother by 4 years, watched saturday morning cartoons. However, whenever I walked into the room and plopped myself on our threadbare carpet and in between my siblings, the TV would miraculously start showing a clear picture. Generally as a result of this, my brothers allowed me sit in and watch whatever I wanted. The day after my twelfth birthday instead found Daniel, who was a hormonal and irritable fifteen year old, and I in the middle of an argument.

I forgot what it was we were arguing about. I dimly remember always getting into a little spat with him over the littlest of things during this time in our lives. We could have been fighting over how he had been in my room earlier and stealing my music CDs, or I had wanted to borrow his computer without asking. Either way we on that day we were both grumpy and snappish with one another.

My mother had been in the kitchen whipping up waffles (they're a guilty pleasure of mine), little Nicky and Dawn, my younger sister, sitting eagerly on the bar stools next to the island in the middle of the kitchen. My father had been off running errands for my mother. Everyone but Daniel had been accounted for, and I had been tip-toeing around when I finally found Daniel reclined on the couch, remote loosely gripped in his hand.

I paid no mind to the fact he was attempting to watch Friends, and instead swooped in and snatched up the remote to change channel.

Remesient of a spluttering old car, Daniel pushed himself up with his elbows. "H-hey! What, what do you think you're doing?"

I plopped myself unceremoniously onto the carpet as I replied, "Changing the channel, duh. I want to watch the new episode of Spiderman."

Now keep in mind, Daniel normally let me do whatever I wanted when the television was concerned. However, because of our spat earlier, Daniel got off the couch and said. "Well that's too bad. I was watching TV first, so I get dibs on what I want to watch." With that the angry mousy haired boy had reached forward to grab at the remote.

I rolled away from him before he could get it. I quickly stuffed the remote into my pajama pants and crawled behind the couch. I ducked underneath the wires that connected to the speakers behind the couch and made an attempt to squeeze myself out the other side. Daniel, letting out an annoyed yell, had dived after me. His hand wrapped around my ankle and he tugged at it. I gave out a yelp of pain as I felt the bone pop in his hand.

Now, two things happened after that. One, I felt a shock, one that you would feel if you had rubbed your socks on the carpet rapidly and touched something metal. It stung briefly, but after a split second passed, I felt the wires around me curl tightly around my body and _yank me forward._ "What _the hell!_ " Daniel screamed as he dropped my foot and scrambled out from behind the couch. I landed ungracefully on the other side of the couch and felt the wires remove themselves from my body and slither back behind the couch.

The second thing after that was a horribly high and piercing shriek from my brother.

I heard the clatter of something being dropped, and I looked up as my mother rushed into the living room. Behind her, Dawn and Nicky peered around the corner and watched as our mother swiped at the golden strands of hair that escaped her sloppy bun and hung in front of her panicked eyes. "What happened?"

Daniel, who was whimpering as he cradled his hand, stared at my mother. He bit his lip and shakily replied, "S-something shocked me."

My mother sighed in exasperation. She strode for and gently took Daniel's hand. I pushed myself off the ground and inched over to look over the damage too.

On his hand was an angry burn mark sitting on the corner of the back of his hand. My mother tsked. "I told you guys to stop roughhousing, haven't I?"

I nervously rubbed at my bottom lip and nodded along with Daniel.

Huffing my mother reached her hand out to me and curled her fingers in a beckoning motion. I reached into the hem of my pajama pants and pulled out the remote. I then handed it over to my mother and winced slightly when she slipped it into her back pocket.

"Now I know it's your birthday, Leslie, but I am tired of you two fighting over the stupidest of things. So, if you both can't get along and share the television, I guess you both can't watch it," my mother murmured with a condescending look. My brother and I looked at one another but said nothing. My mother then went about tending to the burn while I drifted into the kitchen.

After that Daniel acted just a little bit different around me. He would act skittish and was eager to do whatever I asked of him. Both of us knew what actually happened behind the couch. Some freakish occurrence had caused the wires to somehow respond to my distress and help me escape from Daniel. While it had caused a brief pain and a lasting fear of the unknown in him, it had planted a seed of curiosity and slightly worry in me.

Somehow through some weird twist of fate my senses seemed to become attuned to all things containing an distinct electrical current. After the fiasco on my birthday, I began to notice it wasn't just the television or those wires that heeded and obeyed to my wishes and presence. Lights would turn on or off at the briefest of thoughts, my brother's laptop (which I might add soon became my own when Daniel went off to college) would work faster than its normally sluggish pace.

Then of course there was the whisperings and energy of the machines and electricity. It wrapped itself around nearly everything around me. The slight hum that had accompanied me during my younger years seemed to amplify as time went on; it was almost like the machines and electric currents had voices of their own. It took time, learning how to decipher the weird tinklings, warbled hums, and impressions I received, but boy did I learn it. (And by learn it, I mean I worked my toosh off so I could...ahem...get an edge up on exams. I mean, do I _really_ need to know who was elected in eighteen-something?)

It took me a while, but by the time I was seventeen I mastered the art of understanding my machines, and I quickly learned codes and robotics to better understand how to utilize them. No one in my family commented on the strange happenings that would occasionally slip out, like how I knew Dawn had a new boyfriend because she'd been texting him all day, or how I seemed to know everything at the spur of the moment (smartphones connected to the world wide web? The true pinnacle of mankind). Not to mention the random power outages when I was mad, or when my Nicky's nintendo would suddenly run out of battery within the span of two minutes when I was sad.

No, everyone just accepted it as a fact of life. I was fine with it. I mean, I like attention and all, but I'm not sure if I want to become a science experiment, or a target for some supervillain. As far as everyone else knew, I just happened to be really passionate about technology.

Which is why my mother shouldn't have been as disapproving as she was when I got into one of _the_ best robotics programs, which also happened to be endorsed by none other than Mother-freaking-Wayne Enterprises.

Giving a resigned sigh to the fact I was not budging from my decision, my mother waved us all forward. "I suppose we should go get you settled in then."

The faded lettering above the building's door revealed that we currently were in front of one of the dorms for Gotham University. The Gothic structure caused a flutter of excitement to appear in my stomach as the true meaning of this moment settled on me. I, Leslie Marvy, was here, following my dream, and on my way to become one of the best robotics engineers in the world.

Now, if only I could, you know, graduate.

* * *

 _ **Wow, new story. Sorry for the people who were reading my old one. I just lost my muse and I couldn't deal with my writing and yeah.**_

 _ **Anywho, this is my new voyeur into writing fanfics about comic book related things (cuz im total trash lol). I'm super nervous about messing up characterization and what not, so it'd be helpful on pointing out what i need to fix or whatever.**_

 _ **This is gonna be a mix of the batman comics, so ya. I messed up on the timeline when i made this, but I figured, hey I'm the author, I can have a little liberty on ages and what not right? (i mean mashing new 52 and pre-boot is confusing so cut me a lil bit of slack)**_

 _ **Also sorry for like the super short and lackluster first chapter. I just wanted to establish a bit of background before I started.**_


	2. Two

**Two**

 **Warnings:** None

* * *

"This is cruel and unusual punishment," I muttered to my coffee mug. "They should at least wait until _after_ twelve P.M before assigning any classes."

My roommate, Elizabeth-or Beth as she insisted- snorted as she strolled out of the joint bathroom. Wrapped around her broad shoulders was a fluffy white towel, and her long black hair looked more like a shiny oil spill than its usual dark curly cloud. Closing the door behind her, Beth slid onto the couch beside me

"Get stuck with a morning class?" Beth asked as she propped her feet onto the small coffee table in front of us.

So far, Gotham University had everything I could ever dream of. Every dorm room had its own bathroom, and an apartment style floor plan that allowed for two separate rooms and a common "living room" that connect the two rooms. Not to mention each of these rooms were furnished rather tastefully.

The only thing that snagged in my otherwise perfect first impression was, like Beth suggested, a morning class.

Groaning, I hunched my shoulders forward so I could hang my head in mock-agony. "Unfortunately they only had one class slot for one of my required courses, so as you can imagine, I'm stuck with that."

Beth patted my shoulder sympathetically. "Hey, maybe it's a good thing you're taking this morning class."

I looked over at her and raised one of my eyebrows. "Really, huh? Were you the one who had to get up at freaking six o'clock in the morning to get ready for an eight a.m. class? Huh? Didn't think so."

She rolled her eyes at me and stood. "Well, I have to go get ready for Economics." She gestured with a wave of her hand at my slouched form, "have fun doing whatever it is you're doing."

I smiled at her then leaned back on the couch. "Will do."

When Elizabeth disappeared into her room I found myself gazing into my coffee. The normally umber liquid was caramel colored-I could not stand the bitter taste of a plain ol' cup of Joe-and I absently noted that it was no longer as warm as I would have liked. Sighing in defeat I stood up. Patting at my leg, I felt my hand brush against the outline of my smartphone. I grasped at the long rectangular device and let its humming electric current tingle under my fingers.

With my phone still in my hand, I maneuvered over to to the tiny little kitchenette that was located next to the door. I placed my cold cup of coffee on the counter and went to lean against said counter.

Scrolling through my phone, I closed my eyes and allowed myself to relax. With the help of some gentle coaxing, it allowed me to tap into its network and soon I found myself submerged in the what people called the Internet.

Being in the internet was a bit like being submerged in a vibrating bath heated to the perfect temperature. However, right as you're hunkering down for nice long hot soak, you find yourself being tossed out of that bath and plummeting down a mountain in a free fall you can't feel bothered to stop. There's just so much going on at once that I can almost physically feel the tiny data currents ripping harshly at my (metaphorical) skin like beads of icy cold rain, and as each current passes by, a gust of tiny wind-like voices spill (often times irrelevant) secrets to me.

When I first fully submerged myself in the Internet at fifteen, the whole experience frightened me beyond belief. I had been experimenting with my powers, something I did a lot of in Freshman year. Let's just say middle school had spat me out as an awkward and sometimes too naive child (I blame my onslaught of late-blooming puberty) who didn't get a lot of friends until sophomore year. Moving on, you're now probably asking yourself, "Why Leslie, how come you didn't discover this sometimes Godsend of an ability earlier?" Simple, I just didn't know I could do it. How I happened upon this ability had been an accident.

I had been sitting at home, staring contemplatively at my (brother's) laptop, fingers gently tracing the keys as I mused over my powers. One second I had been contemplating a silly idea of becoming a sort of outlet or modem for Wi-Fi, when all of a sudden my computer beeped and I felt the tell tale sign of the building of an electric shock as a sign that a machine basically wanted me to control it (surprisingly, or not depending on your view, many machines actually want me to use my odd powers on them). Curious as to why it decided now was an ideal time to use my powers I didn't think twice and connected to the laptop.

Immediately after this I was bombarded by a plethora of words, some in languages I didn't understand, and a new development: videos and pictures. Cat videos, plagiarized movies, vlogs, and even embarrassingly, pornographic videos. Soon following, emails, instant messages, blogs, news articles, and other things that can be associated with the internet crashed into me as well. Gasping at the sudden onslaught of information I couldn't have ever prepared myself for, I jerked back from my laptop. Once the connection severed, the wave that had crashed over me faded to the familiar background of my room. A pounding headache went rampant in my cranium for days after that, and I refused to touch any device that could connect to the internet.

Obviously, I got over what had happened to me, and I forced myself to train mentally in diving into the internet. It took countless months of small increments of exposure, but soon I formed a sort of tolerance for the immense amount of data being shared with me. I even found myself growing excited at the prospect of surfing (almost literally) the internet.

One thing though that I learned, much to my chagrin, over those months was that while I was busy dawdling in the intimate folds of the Internet mentally, my body took on a dazed and seemingly zombified state. It freaked my parents out plenty of times when they'd walk in on me during my exercises and find me hunched over her my desk and staring blankly at my laptop. Because of this, I think they thought I was constantly hyped up on drugs. Oops.

Anyway, because I had my parents walking in on me all the time (when you live with five people you tend to forget privacy), I became adept at sensing when people were walking in the room.

I must've been getting sloppy however because after only being under for less than two minutes, Beth walked back into the room. Her feet, clad in black tennis shoes, appeared in the peripherals atop my phone, and I jerked, my mouth snapping shut as my smartphone booted me out of it's network. I had programmed it to sense shoes and other things in its camera's view that resembled a person invading my personal space, and once it sensed these intrusions, it automatically kicked me back into the real world.

My head snapped up with a sheepish smile twitching at the corner of my lips. Beth raised a neatly plucked eyebrow at me, and I noticed a backpack slung over one shoulder and her still wet, but now tightly curled hair slicked back in a neat pony-tail.

"Erm...hi?"

"You okay there?" Beth asked, an amused smirk appearing on her face. I blinked and my mind flashed back to what I had been doing a few minutes ago. My face heated up. I probably looked like some weirdo just standing there with my phone nearly pressed to my face and my mouth hanging open like that.

"Yeah, I'm, I'm good," I replied with a nervous chuckle.

"You know, I've only known you for a week and you're already worrying me," she mused, her eyes crinkling at the corners as her smirk blossomed into a playful grin.

I waved off her comment and used my butt to push off of the counter. "No need to worry about lil' ol' me. Why don't you get to class?" I glanced at my phone to check the time. "Don't wanna be late again do you?"

Narrowing her eyes at me, she waggled her finger at me. "That was _one_ time."

I shrugged in feign indifference. "It made a lasting impression."

"Yeah, yeah. I'm going. Don't stay cooped up in here too long."

"Alright. I might go to the library. I need to check out a book for one of my classes anyway."

"Nerd."

I beamed at Beth as she made her way past me and opened the door. "And proud of it."

The dark-skinned girl laughed at me with a shake of her head. "Bye."

With the door shutting firmly behind her, I gave a sigh of relief and placed a hand on my hip and allowed the other the rake my bangs back from my forehead. Tilting my head down to the cellphone in my hand, I twisted my hand to where the glossy glass screen peered up at me."That was close...I probably shouldn't indulge in surfin' the web until I'm, you know alone."

My phone tingled in my hand, but nothing else occurred. "I'll take that as an agreement."

* * *

I deeply regretted not buying a light coat as I marched determinedly down the crowded streets of Gotham. The weather, while containing a wind that nipped at the tip of my nose, was definitely not cold enough for my poofy and heavy duty gray-green coat. I noticed with chagrin that nearly everyone wore way lighter jackets, and I couldn't help the self-conscious blush dusting my cheeks and ears every time I saw people looking my way.

Swiping in vague annoyance at a tendril of dirty blond bundle of hair, I mentally cursed the wind and my lack of owning a car. _I should probably get one...this city is dangerous, and it'd really suck getting stuck downtown at night_. I glanced at the street beside me, feeling the auras of the cars toting along down the clogged roads. _Then again the traffic would be horrible._

I shrugged off my thoughts and sped up my pace. I had been wandering the city for about an hour now, and I figured I should meander my way to the public library like I had told Beth I was planning on doing. I would've been there by now, but I got distracted when I passed by a section of the city that held various shops for clothing items and accessories. I couldn't help that I was a (technically) still teenage girl in need of new clothes. So after gazing longingly at a shirt I couldn't afford at the moment, I had checked my phone only to groan at the time and begrudgingly go on my merry way.

I didn't get to the library until fifteen minutes later, and when I did cross the threshold and into the Gothic structure, I gave a deeply relieved sigh. I quickly rubbed my frozen hands together and puffed hot air onto them.

"Cold out there?"

I jumped at the voice addressing me

I looked up to see a rather young woman dressed in a black blazer and pencil skirt sitting elegantly at a desk to the right of the door. Her eyes twinkled with humor behind her square glasses, and I felt a stab of envy as I gazed at her luscious red hair that curled loosely around her shoulders. Her left hand held a hardcover book while her right hand sat on the desk before her.

"Just a bit," I murmured, stuffing my hands deeply in my pockets.

"I see. Can I help you with anything?" The woman inquired while tilting her head slightly.

I cleared my throat and gestured to the area around me, "You wouldn't happen to know where you'd have a section on microprocessing would you?"

She smiled brightly at me and hopped up from her desk, the book lying forgotten faced down. "I would actually. Want me to show you?"

"If you could, please," I replied.

Beckoning me with a flick of her hand over her shoulder, the redhead wove around the towering bookshelves that encompassed a majority of the library. The faded blood red carpet coupled with the dark walls and shelves around us really set a gothic mood I was beginning to associate with just about everything in Gotham. Despite its slightly creepy appearance, the library really did have an impressive collection of books. I mentally reminded myself that I needed to return for more than just school reading. I might tinker with machines most of the time, but curling up with a good book sounds just as appealing.

After disappearing past the first five rows, we finally made it down an aisle that caused the woman in front of me to stop. "Here we are," she said while pointing to an entire row dedicated to technology in some form or fashion.

I flashed her a grateful smile. "Thank you, miss…." I trailed off when I realized I didn't know her name.

"Barbara. Barbara Gordon. And it's no problem, really. It's what I'm here for after all."

I nodded and reached out a hand. Barbara stared at it for a millisecond before she reached out her own hand and shook mine with a firm grip. "I'm Leslie Marvy," I announced as I quickly released her hand. I mentally smacked myself behind the head at my weird introduction. I mean, I know my mom strived to instill politeness in me, but sheesh.

"Nice to meet you, Leslie Marvy. If you need any more help, I'll be up in the front," Barbara informed me before flashing one last quirk of her lips. Was that amusement in her eyes? Goodness gracious, she noticed the slight awkwardness I could feel myself emanating in waves. At least she didn't comment on it; instead she turned before I could reply and disappeared around the corner we had came from.

I made a strangled noise and smacked myself on the forehead when I was sure she was gone. "Good going, Les," I muttered."Way to act like a total weirdo."

After allowing myself to wallow in self-pity and beration, I turned towards the collection of books to search for the book I needed. I shrugged off my heavy coat and laid it beside me-it was getting way too hot for my tastes. I then crouched down on my haunches so I could run my finger over the spines displaying the titles before me. After searching the first five minutes, my calves and thighs began to burn unpleasantly, so I quickly resigned myself to the floor. Crossing my legs, I hunched over and proceed to search for another twenty-five minutes.

I eventually found the book I needed and I pulled it out so I could turn it to over to read the cover. Giving a small nod and a brief hum in confirmation that this was indeed the book, I tucked it under my arm. Still sitting, I used my other arm to pat down my pocket and grab my cellphone. I unlocked it and abruptly winced with a hissing noise crawling up my throat as the suddenly bright light of my home screen illuminated my face. I didn't think the dimly lit library was that dark, but apparently I was rudely mistaken.

After blinking for a few seconds so I could adjust my eyes, I read over the rest of my syllabus. Once I made sure that no other reading material was currently needed, I used the palm of my hands to push off the ground and stumble onto my feet.

"Ugh, my feet fell asleep," I grumbled as I shook out the tingles clawing up my right foot. When both my feet stopped their tingling, I groaned and popped my back. _I'm gonna grow a permanent hump in my back if I keep sitting like that…_

I sighed before glancing back at my phone. "Whoops," I mumbled when I noticed the time. Back problems would be the least of my worries if I didn't get home soon.

Gathering my coat and slinging it over one arm, I made my way down the aisles to the front. Instead of watching where I was going however, I buried my nose in my phone.

When I reached the corner I knew Barbara's desk would be, I had yet to look up. I figured I didn't really need to. I had arrived at around five p.m. and barely a soul had been creeping around. Despite the lack of anyone being in the library, I did spot a young man. He had appeared to be around his early twenties, but I hadn't been able to see anything else as he had disappeared from the corner of my eye. I didn't think anything of him; after all, no one else seemed to be in here, and as long as I wasn't being bothered, I didn't care.

However, as I approached the end of the last row, I stopped and looked up quickly at the sound of playful voices. I ducked behind the shelf I was at, curiosity brimming in me. My head tilted to side like a confused dog, and I peered through the cracks between the books. I quickly noticed the man from earlier. He was leaning against the desk in front of Barbara, and before I could catch myself, I was gazing appreciatively at his form.

Clad in dark jeans and a dark navy button up, the man looked, ahem...attractive to say the least. The arms holding him up from the desk were covered by the button up, but even underneath the cloth I could tell his arms were muscular. His black hair seemed tousled and barely combed through, and the messy tresses framed his chiseled face in an attractive manner. He was tall too, around six foot with broad shoulders and a wiry but well built frame. He seemed to possess the same mysterious allure Barbara held when I first saw her, and a subtle grace few could recognize unless you were studying him as closely as I was.

Before I could assess anything more about him, I roughly shook my head and scolded myself. It was rude to stare after all. Plus I didn't even know this guy. For all I know he could be some horrible criminal who came to rob Barbara and any other unsuspecting bookworms (hey this was Gotham; not like it wouldn't happen). Though I knew I was being ridiculous, I firmly grasped that idea in my head as my main argument for not staring at the (hot) young man looming over Barbara.

After I mentally reprimanded myself and refocused on what was going on, I was able to (barely) hear the conversation going on in front of me. The soft murmur of voices were hard to make out, but the tone didn't _seem_ threatening. In fact….

I think they were...flirting. Their body language told me if anything else. Both parties were leaning toward one another, no matter how subtle they thought they were being. Barbara had her chin cradled on the backs of her hands which were being held up at the elbows on her desk. The stranger also hovered over her hunched form, a smile teasing the side of his face.

 _Oh gross._

I scrunched my face up at the display, but I quickly pushed aside the reaction. _No need to act immature_ , I reminded myself. I was after all a self-proclaimed hopeless romantic.

 _Doesn't mean I'm mature about semi-public displays of affection...though they aren't really doing anything…_

"You going to stay there all night?"

I gave a startled yelp as I finally noticed that both Barbara and the stranger were staring directly at me. I quickly scrambled to my full height, a scarlet blush settling over my cheeks and ears. "Erm, no I wasn't planning on it…"

I walked out from behind the bookcase and watched Barbara's eyebrows raise in faint disbelief. "Were you spying on us?" She questioned with a hint of suspicion coloring her tone.

I cleared my throat uncomfortably. "I, uh, no. I didn't want to interrupt you and your boyfriend so I decided to wait until you were done...uh talking...so...yeah." I rubbed my hand over my bottom lip as my eyes darted to the floor.

Both parties were silent for few seconds before the young man gave a laugh. "You think we're dating?"

My eyes widened as they looked back up at them, my lips curling inward and face growing hotter. "You mean you guys aren't?"

Barbara scoffed, "In his dreams maybe."

"Oh." That's a shame. They would've been cute looking couple. "Sorry for making assumptions."

The man smiled at me. "It's okay. I'm Dick by the way."

I didn't offer my hand, but I returned his smile with a tentative one of my own. "Nice to meet you. I'm Leslie."

"I see you go to Gotham U," Dick remarked, his eyes pointedly aimed at the lettering on my shirt. I looked hurriedly down at my chest and mentally noted that I was indeed wearing a Gotham University T-shirt. Huh, I didn't even remember putting it on.

"Yeah, first year actually. I'm pretty excited. It seems like a great school so far."

"It's a pretty good school," Barbara chimed in, "I go there as well. I'm in my third year as a law major. Dick here is a business major in the same year."

I shouldn't have been surprised that both individuals went to Gotham University. They looked like young, intelligent people, and Gotham U was one of the better Universities in the area.

I smiled at the information before remembering the book tucked under my arm. "Oh, speaking of Gotham University, I was wondering if I could check out this book?"

Barbara shooed Dick away from the front of the desk and gestured for me to take his place. "Of course you can. Just give me a few minutes so I can set up an account for you."

I nodded and waited. When Barbara would ask a question, I would reply. Beyond that neither of us talked, and instead Dick was looking over his cellphone while I was busy staring determinedly at the interesting pattern the grains of wood made on the desk.

"There, now you can check out," Barbara declared. She held her hand out and I reached over to her so she could quickly scan the barcode

With an electronic beep, Barbara handed me back my book and I tucked it between my legs. I then pulled my jacket on, feeling vaguely like a marshmallow. Once I zipped it up and switched the book from my legs to my hands again, I turned to Barbara and Dick. "I guess I'll see you guys later then."

Barbara waved at me, a small smile on her lips. Dick's brow was furrowed at his phone, but he glanced up at me when I said goodbye and gave me a brief nod of acknowledgement with a flash of white teeth.

I ducked out of the library after that and made my way back to my dorm.

* * *

When I walked in, I found Beth curled up against the arm of the couch with her head propped up by her arm as she watched the news on the television. Her eyes swiveled towards me when she noticed my presence and asked in a lazy drawl, "Did you find what you needed?"

I held up my book as I plopped down beside her. I was beyond exhausted, and I relished in the feel of the soft cushion beneath me. Giving a large exhale, I snuggled deeper into the couch. Beth chuckled but didn't make another sound. An odd lullaby composed by the television's low electric hum and the news anchor's voice slowly caused my eyes to close. The last words I heard were ones that would, in a way I never expected, impact my life forever.

" _In other news, Commissioner Gordon once again has disclosed that the mysterious vigilante known as the Batman and his partner, Robin have both have successfully helped the GCPD in apprehending the infamous Harley Quinn. Despite this, her long time partner, the Joker, is still at large…"_


	3. Three

**Three**

 **Warnings:** Language

* * *

I inhaled deeply, the papers clutched to my chest crinkling as my fingers tightened around them. I could do this. Totally. I mean, the butterflies swarming like a tsunami threatening to overtake me totally weren't there. And that shaking in my knees? It's just a figment of my imagination. Right? Right.

Exhaling, I studied the mirror before me as a few strands of my sandy bangs fluttered onto my reflection's wide brown eyes. Those eyes instantly narrowed and zeroed in on my chin. Was that a pimple? I leaned forward to where my nose almost touched the glass. My breath fogged up the area marginally, but I could definitely spy the tiny blemish taking root on the tip of my chin.

 _Of all the times to get a pimple…_

I moved back from my reflection and squared my shoulders. It's okay, it didn't matter, right? Not like they're gonna turn me away because I have a little acne. I gave myself an exaggerated nod while moving to swipe at the hair still dangling in my eyes. I gently tucked the strands behind my ears and forced myself to turn.

 _Now or Never, Marvey._

I quickly marched out of the pristine restroom and into a brightly lit lobby. What sunlight that streamed from Gotham's perpetually cloudy sky cut impressive slices into the lobby's pristine white marble floor. Being on the tenth floor, the view of the entire wall, with the floor to ceiling windows, made it seem like we were no longer in Gotham. The glistening glass sparkled against the backdrop of towering skyscrapers and a slice of the ocean that lay beyond the city. The normally dark tones that permeated the streets below seemed nonexistent here as my eyes trailed the sunlight that wove its way around the city in hues of yellow and tinges of orange. I could even spot patches of brilliant green from a few rooftop gardens. It nearly took my breath away with how picturesque the moment seemed. I'd kill to see this view at sunset.

Shaking my head, I turned to the chairs that sat to my immediately left against the wall. I hugged my résumé tighter against my body and tried to look graceful as I stepped over the Persian rug sprawled in front of the chairs. Unfortunately for me, my knee caught the low coffee table in the middle of the chairs, and I stumbled into the cushions rather than delicately lowering myself. I felt a surprised sound escape my throat, and I cringed deeper into my seat. I refused to look at the receptionist and instead studied everything else but her.

The chairs themselves seemed to be made from polished black leather, the cushions cool against my slightly heated skin. They looked expensive, like something you would find in some fancy furniture catalog. It didn't seem fair that they were for sitting on, especially by a lowly college student like myself.

I rubbed at my pimple, a sudden spike of self-consciousness prickling at me. I hurriedly snipped at my bud of doubt and instead reminded myself that I had worked for this opportunity. I wasn't some lowlife from the deepest bowels of the city, and in fact, this place was just a building, no matter how high-life it seemed.

"Don't worry, Miss Marvey, Mr. Fox will be seeing you momentarily. He should be finishing up his meeting in a few more minutes," the receptionist assured. I looked up and spied the conventionally pretty brunette with a polite smile etched onto her face.

"Ah, okay," I replied before giving a shaky smile of my own.

"You'll do great, I'm sure," she continued before turning back to the computer in front of her. I could faintly hear its content hum, and I allowed my face to show a meager but genuine smile. At least the company held people that appeared to take care of their technology.

Reassured by the words the woman had given me, I leaned back and allowed the tense muscles in my back to relax. I closed my eyes and felt the technology of the building buzz in my head and around my ears. The "noise" the building gave me was like being in a gently lapping wave pool, and I gave a deep sigh through my nose as I felt some of the machines crooning comforting nonsense.

I think I dozed off for a bit because before I knew it, I was gently being shaken. My eyes snapped open and they darted up to the source. Before me stood a finely aged dark skinned man in an immaculate black suit with specks of white weaved into his hair. A pair of black framed glasses perched on his nose, and I traced that nose to a mouth that was formed in a small amused smirk.

"You must be Miss Leslie Marvey," the mouth remarked.

My eyes darted up to the man's warm chocolate eyes. I scrambled to my feet as the realization of who this person must be finally hit me. I inwardly cringed as my papers went scattering across my feet in a haste. I hurriedly bent to scoop them up. "Ah, yes, I'm Leslie," I answered in a rushed manner, "I, um, presume that you're Mr. Fox?"

I straightened and attempted to find order for my résumé. I quickly gave up on that endeavor, however, and I went to throw them off to the side of the table. I wiped my palms on my dress pants and held my left one out.

Mr. Fox eyed my hand humorously and shook it with a firm grip. "You'd be correct."

"Um, excuse my clumsiness, sir."

"It's quite alright. Now, why don't we head down to my office so I can give you your interview?"

I nodded and gathered my papers from the table before following after Fox. The man's broad back facing me allowed me to mentally scold myself in peace. I barely noticed when we entered the elevator. It wasn't until he reached over to press the number twelve on the elevator's floor buttons that I snapped out of my thoughts.

The elevator was as fancy as you'd expect it to be. A small (fake) plant sat in the corner of the surprising roomy space (though maybe it was the mirror surrounding the interior of the elevator that gave the impression of being roomy). A metallic gold colored bar encircled the perimeter of the area and only stopped on both sides of the door. In the background, I could hear a jazz song playing.

"So, Miss Marvey," Fox began conversationally over the sounds of trumpets softly playing, "why did you decide to intern here at Wayne Enterprises?"

I glanced down to collect my thoughts and then at Fox as he peered at me through his glasses. I sneaked in a gulp of air before squaring my shoulders and staring directly into his eyes. "I'm going to be blunt with you, Mr. Fox. I came here to Wayne Enterprises because you guys are one of the best technological companies in the world, if not the best. I came here because I want to gain experience in your department of technology, and I think it will be a great chance at expanding my horizons." I hesitated when the elevator finally stopped before the doors slid open to show yet another pristine hallway. "I also feel that it will give me a chance to maybe even apply for a job here in the future."

"I see," he replied with a contemplating tone in his voice as he stepped out. I trailed after him as a silence descended upon us. It wasn't until he twisted a doorknob several feet from the elevator and held it open for me that Mr. Fox interrupted the silence with another question," And why do you find the need to be in a company that's, as you quote, 'one of the best' in technological ventures?"

We made our way to the oak desk centered in the middle of the office. He went around to the plush dark blue rolling chair propped behind the desk and I plopped myself in the chair across from him. I squirmed into a more comfortable position all the while being mindful to keep my back straight. I quietly steeled myself for the impending interview while I waited for the bespectacled man to settle. When he was, I cleared my throat and crossed my legs so I could steeple my fingers in my lap a top my résumé.

"Well you see, Mr. Fox, technology has always been a fascination of mine…"

* * *

After my interview, I called Beth. My enthusiasm practically coursed through my veins, and I felt a burning need to share the optimistic thoughts bouncing around in my head. So with that in mind, I was able to convince the curly haired girl to meet up with me in one of our more favorite haunts: one of Gotham University's few nature embedded courtyards. We met up about an hour after my call with me freshly redressed in my favorite skinny jeans and a black v-neck decorated with a dazzling (in my opinion) smile on my face. Slung over my shoulder was a backpack I had kept from high school stuffed to the brim with my comfort snacks. I didn't even feel the slightest bit of surprise when I finally spotted Beth. Never one to rise before Noon (keep in mind it was barely hitting one o'clock now), Beth looked like she just rolled out of bed. Adorned with a pair of black sweatpants and a red hoodie, the girl waved lazily at me. Despite the fact the girl had her frizzy curls tied in a knot on the back of her head, and the pair of her rarely worn wire-frame glasses on, she still looked as stunning as ever. She had walked up to me, an amused half-smirk toying at the corner of her mouth and gestured for me to find a seat. I naturally chose a picnic table below the biggest tree there. I couldn't really recall what it was called (and I was far too lazy to simply ask or look it up), but it was a towering behemoth with a thick network of branches that must've been absolutely stunning in the spring or summer.

When we sat down, I turned to where my legs straddled the bench sideways so my right elbow could rest on the table and prop my head up. Beth sat adjacent from me. She leaned practically half her body over the thickly wired plastic top of the table, her own elbows digging into the tiny holes that littered the table. In her hand, she held a tiny coursebook, something about some philosopher she needed to read for class. And she claims I'm the nerd. Psh.

Once I dug out a can of Pringles from my backpack and popped open the lid, I excitedly pinched at a few chips and placed them in my mouth. "So, Wayne Enterprises has to be like the prettiest place I've ever seen," I gushed around my mouthful of chips.

"Oh?" Beth hummed while slipping a page with one slim finger.

"Yeah. And their view? Gorgeous. I really, really hope I get the internship if only so I can see it every day…"

"Really? That's interesting."

"Yeah, and I really feel like I'll get it too, ya know? It's like a gut feeling."

"I'm sure you will," Beth assured as she glanced at me.

"I really want to go celebrate this."

"But you haven't even been offered the internship yet...isn't that jumping the gun a bit, Les?"

My nose scrunched up as I took another bite of another handful of chips. "It's never too early to celebrate. Even if you think it's a bit early, maybe it can be like-" I stopped mid-sentence when I realized Beth wasn't looking at me. Instead, her eyes were trained on something behind my shoulder, and it was then that I noticed a shadow extending my own across the table.

"Excuse me?" A timid voice spoke up. "I-uh, you're Leslie Marvey, right?"

I turned my head to the side with my eyebrows raised in curiosity. Before me stood a moderately attractive man with a nondescript mop of brown hair hanging in his hazel eyes. He looked vaguely familiar, and it suddenly clicked after a few seconds of staring that he was in one of my classes, specifically my one morning class. I couldn't remember his name for the life of me, but obviously, he knew mine.

"Who's asking?" I inquired as I rubbed the crumbs off my hands by wiping the sides of my legs.

"Oh, ah, I'm Luke Turner. We have English Tuesday mornings together," answered the newly dubbed Luke. He licked his lips and reached up a hand to tweak his ear. "I, um was wondering if you, ah, wanted to maybe grab a bite to eat?"

"Wait, what? Are you asking me out?" I asked bluntly, a dumbfounded expression covering my face.

Across from me, Beth lowered her book, a curious and mischievous glint in her narrowed eyes. "I believe he is, dear Leslie."

Luke's cheeks gained a rosy hue, and a blush overtook my own cheeks. Well...that's a first. Don't get me wrong, I've casually dated before (okay it was only like one person, and it was just a month-long fling that lasted until the day after prom), but never had I been so, well, bluntly asked out before. It was kind of flattering. That didn't mean I didn't feel any less awkward about this whole encounter.

"Uh," I intelligently said before swiveling to Beth, panic evident.

She raised one eyebrow and Her expression seemed to say, why not?

I raised both of mine higher and made a sort of strangled squeak at the back of my throat. I know I said I wanted to celebrate, but not like this! Plus it'll be awkward.

She gave a nod in Luke's direction. He's right there, you know.

Sighing in resignation, I turned to the boy anxiously shifting from foot to foot. Pity bubbled within me at his hopeful but worried expression. I mean it wasn't like he wasn't decent looking. I guess I could give him a chance.

I attempted at a thin smile. "What do you have in mind?"

Luke looked a little surprised and just a tad bit sheepish. "To be honest, I thought you'd say no, so I don't really have a concrete place in mind."

"I guess we can schedule a double date or something for Friday? I know this decent Italian place a few blocks from here," Beth suggested before cocking her head and coyly continued,"Besides, I figured it's time you met Ryan."

My eyebrows furrowed and my head snapped to Beth's direction. "Ryan? Who's Ryan? How come you haven't mentioned this 'Ryan' character?"

"Ah, that'd be fine. Does five p.m. sound like a decent time?" Luke said.

"Of course. It's perfect. Right, Les?" Beth replied.

My eyes narrowed at my dormmate so she knew she wasn't getting away with not telling me about this supposed Joe, but I turned to the floppy haired boy and plastered a beaming smile on my face. "Yeah, absolutely. I guess I'll see you then?"

"Uh, yeah. I'll, see you then." He stammered looking a little dazed at the whole situation. I didn't blame him.

When he disappeared behind one of the courtyard's columns, I rounded on Beth, an accusing glare aimed at her. The curly-haired girl had the gall to appear innocent. "What?" she asked as she picked up her book again.

"When I said I wanted to go out and celebrate, a freaking double date with some stranger in my English class was not what I had in mind. And who's this Ryan person? How come I haven't heard you mention him before?"

"Oh, stop acting like a drama queen," Beth scoffed, " Besides did you have any other plans? And Ryan is this boy I've been talking to...I just figured you should meet him since we seem to be about ready to make it...well official."

"Uh huh, sure. I just hope you're gonna be helpin' me pick out what to wear. Since this is indirectly, but still somehow directly, your fault."

Beth's face looked downright evil in that moment. I almost regretted my declaration when her face broke out into a devilish smile that nearly curled at the ends. She looked like a darker, less green, female Grinch "Oh, don't worry, I will."

* * *

Considering it had been Wednesday when Luke asked me out, Friday came much earlier than expected.

My English class the morning after our encounter consisted of me awkwardly waving to Luke and then studiously taking notes over the professor's lecture. After the class, I quickly made my escape and practically ran to my dorm building across the campus. I ignored the weirded out looks my fellow peers gave and darted up to my dorm and locked myself in my room for the rest of the day to do homework (and some research).

Thanks to my empathy with all things technological, it only took a quick delve into my phone's internet connection to finally find a strain of data that lead me to Luke Turner's Facebook page and other online resources I probably shouldn't have been able to read (sorry, not sorry). To my disappointment (or relief, I don't know which one was stronger) the boy was about as interesting as a stale piece of bread...er no offense to him. Even his internet history reflected his seemingly bland personality (I mean aren't guys supposed to like, I dunno, experiment with...ahem certain videos? Or some message board, or something?). He didn't seem like a bad person, but then again he didn't look like a particularly stimulating one either.

It didn't take long for me to fall asleep soon after completing my research, and I awoke to the sound of Beth stomping around in our "livingroom". I blinked for a few seconds, staring blankly at the glow in the dark stars sticking to my ceiling. After hearing a loud thump and curse, I used my elbows to push myself from beneath my cover and looked at the alarm clock sitting on my desk a few feet away. The big digital numbers glowed a subtle blue and read that it was 12: 27 P.M.

Huh, I must've gone to sleep later than usual if I woke up this late.

Shrugging off my bemusement, I ruffled my hair and slid out of bed. Padding into the livingroom, I found Beth darting around with bundles of hair products laden her toned arms. I quirked an eyebrow as I watched Beth jam her foot into her doorframe and hobble on one foot into her room with trail of creative curses following in her wake.

After watching her reappear and disappear a few more times, I finally asked in an amused tone, "What in the world are you doing?"

Beth, who was sticking halfway in the bottom cabinet with her butt wiggling around in the air, hit her head on the top of the cabinet. "Shit! Ow! Wha- Leslie! Finally, you're up!" Beth looked absolutely feverish as she hopped up from being on her hands and knees and darted over to me. "Quick! You need to get in the shower! We have-", She paused and frantically looked to the microwave, "-four hours to get us both ready!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, calm down there, girl," I replied with a reflexive laugh as Beth pushed me backward insistently towards our bathroom. It was really weird to see the normally laid back girl so flighty, but from prior experience from when her first paper was due a week ago, I knew this was a sign that she was nervous. "Chill, I'm going. Why don't you go get set up in your room?"

"I am, but I need to get you in the shower."

"Beth!" I laughed when she finally just shoved me into the bathroom and slammed the door in my face. Relenting to her demands, I climbed into the shower.

Thirty minutes later found me standing with a towel wrapped around underneath my arms and my hair dripping down my back. I stood with my arms crossed and foot tapping before Beth quickly pulled me into her room.

My first impression was amazement because I could actually see the worn down gray carpet (mine, as you can probably imagine, has not been seen for a solid two weeks now). Even though I had drifted in and out of Beth's room multiple times, I hadn't actually taken the time to admire the personal touches she had added. My eyes trained in on a little bright blue throw rug near the center of the room, adding a splash of color to the predominantly off-white room before drifting to her made up bed. It had a simple light green duvet and a mountain of pillows meticulously placed at the head of the bed that was pushed against the wall. Beside her bed was a full-length mirror littered with little photographs. I could see my slightly dripping appearance and Beth's blurred form as she rushed around the room in it. On the opposite side of the room, Beth's desk was the only thing that appeared to even have a semblance of messiness. Its surface was covered in papers and pencils with her laptop sitting closed off to the side. Despite that, the rest of her room looked mostly bare, save for a Carebears posted taped to the door to her closet and the neat pile of hair products and makeup next to the bottom corner of her bed.

While relatively impressive (to me at least, I mean the girl was infinitely busier than me), the cleanliness of the room disappeared after only half an hour. After being led to her bed, Beth set upon me with the ferocity of a lioness pouncing on her prey. Makeup kits that had been transported from out little kitchenette and her bathroom dappled the floor, and hair products were strewn along beside them. A multitude of billowing shirts, tightly fitting skirts, and short dresses lay across the bed, and although I asked about them, Beth simply waved off my questions and told me they would be an issue for later.

Still donned in only a towel, I sat patiently as Beth simultaneous combed and blowdried my hair. Sometime between the gentle tugging and the warmth coming from the hair dryer, my eyes closed and I allowed the hair dryer's loud gusts of air and the underlying electrical hum let me doze off. I figured I could trust Beth not to mess up anything.

When I finally acknowledged that the hair dryer had been turned off, my eyes cracked open. I felt gentle fingers running through my hair, and I heard Beth mutter under her breath, "I wish my hair was this easy to braid."

I didn't say anything in reply, and instead tilted my head back to stare up at her face. Beth's eyes were narrowed and gazing intently at her hands. I could even see a tiny bit of her tongue poking out from her pursed lips. My mouth quirked and I lifted one of my hands to lightly yank on her bouncy curls. Her dark chocolate eyes lifted to my face. "Don't worry, I'm almost done," she said before her eyes darted back to her handiwork.

"Good, It's been almost thirty minutes. I should hope it's almost done," I playfully replied. "Wouldn't want you messing up your face any more than it's already has been."

"Oh, hah, funny."

"I know, I try."

After feeling a few more tugs, I felt Beth push me forward and off the bed. My hands scrambled to my towel when my eyes caught sight of the hairstyle my friend had gifted me with.

"Wow," I breathed as I lifted one hand to run a finger along the braid made from one side of my bangs. Beth had spent the past half hour braiding two braids out of my bangs so that they wrapped around either side of my head. She had also managed to make them to where they were pinned behind my head with a white bow. The rest of my hair had been left down, and loosely lapped at my bare shoulders. The normally brownish blonde hair shimmered brightly and to me looked like darkly tinted liquid gold.

"Yeah, yeah, don't thank me just yet. We still need to get your outfit and makeup," Beth sighed as she stood off to the side, her hands firmly on her hips. I stared at her from the mirror, and I gestured to her body.

"Don't you have to get ready?"

"Yeah, but I can wait. You, you need my expertise if you wanna look stunning for tonight."

"Beth, I don't want to impress-"

"Ah, ah, I don't care. It's a date; I don't want my only best friend here looking like some raggedly dressed little girl for a night on the town."

I stared at her flatly while also feeling vaguely offended. "I do know how to dress myself, Beth."

"Humor me, please Leslie." Her eyes looked almost pleading, and I immediately caved under their puppy dog like quality. Curse you sympathetic heart of mine.

I crossed my arms. "Fine."

"'Atta girl."

Following that conversation, another hour and a half passed before I was permitted to see my reflection from Her Royal Highness, Queen Elizabeth. During that time period, I tried to temper my growing antsiness as I was deprived of obtaining any form of entertainment. I could feel symptoms suspiciously like withdrawals from my lack of contact with any higher forms of technology. With the hair dryer unplugged and the Beth's cell phone tucked under some clothing on her bed, I had little to no conversation (not that the hair dryer would've been very entertaining to begin with seeing as it was what I considered a lower form of "intelligence" when concerning machines, but I digress). Beth herself paid me no mind and worked diligently on my makeup and my outfit idea. Suffice to say, when she finally slipped the silky smooth black dress over my head (after picking out a "cute" pair of black lace undies and bra with a tiny pink bow to go underneath), I hurriedly turned to see what my dorm mate had done to me.

"Wow," was all I seemed to be able to say. My eyes roamed over the image laid out before me, taking note that the dress hugged my normally unflattering curves (I wasn't the most in shape person ever, but I wasn't the worst either) and gave my body more form than I'd expect. The dress itself was just a plain black, and the only defining feature was the fact it exposed my shoulders and back.

My eyes darted up and I felt them widen. My eyes themselves looked huge on my long and filled out face. Their twinkling amber depths were outlined in a dark brown with a brush of mascara. My gaze fell to my contoured round cheeks and roman-esque nose. It felt weird with so much makeup covering my face, but I found that I actually didn't mind how it made me look. I almost felt as pretty as Beth.

"Thank you, Beth," I said sincerely.

"No problem, no shoo, I gotta get ready now," the girl said as she turned to her bed with her arms crossed. "Now...what to wear...what to wear…"

I fled the room and hid out on the couch after snatching my phone. Feeling its reassuring presence buzzing in my hands, I felt my antsiness disappear completely. I didn't even feel worried about the date.

Time passed by, and eventually, I found myself outside the dorm complex on the curb of the road at 4:50. Beth stood beside me, her foot tapping steadily on the ground.

Somehow, Beth was able to doll herself at a speed that I would expect rivaled the Flash. Dressed in tightly fitting dark jeans and a billowy white top, she might've looked less fancy clothes-wise in comparison to me, but her expertly done afro and makeup almost made her surpass me in the looks department. In fact, I think she did.

We had been standing outside for about fifteen minutes now, and I could tell Beth was getting more and more nervous. After checking her phone for the tenth time, she finally exclaimed, "I told Ryan 4:45, where is he?!"

"Calm down, Beth, it's only been five minutes. Give the man some time," I soothed as I lightly patted her shoulder.

Ryan, our official chauffeur for the evening, eventually rolled up in a black Lincoln. Well, according to the car itself and Beth, It was Ryan. I personally couldn't believe it was him though because when the passenger side window of the car rolled down, I was surprised to see someone who looked...well not someone I would expect Beth to go for. But hey, to each their own, right?

Ryan had a broad short nose, and circular glasses perched at the end of that nose. His hair was shaved on both sides, and a fluffy mohawk fell between his eyes. His face was narrow, but his body appeared to be more filled out than expected. He wore, from what I could see, a pair of dark wash jeans. His dark button shirt really flattered his complexion though, and if I had to guess, I'd say he was either from Hispanic or Italian descent.

"Hey, sorry for the wait, B, you know how traffic gets," Ryan said sheepishly. He lifted one hand off the steering wheel and gestured towards the door. "We should get going before it gets worse."

We climbed into the car. After a brief introduction ("Ryan, this is Leslie, my Dorm mate, and best friend.") It took us about twenty minutes to get to the restaurant. The ride was peppered with Beth playfully scolding Ryan's lateness, and Ryan flirtatiously answering back. Meanwhile, I sat in the back, feeling like the age-old position of the third wheel, and silently prayed for time to slip by faster. Eventually, we found the restaurant (and a parking spot, ew for parallel parking), and made our way to the entrance.

By this time, the sun had begun to set, and the fiery orange that blanketed the city memorized me. I stared at the black brick of the building before us, the orange contrasting beautifully with the stone. It took me a few minutes, but when I looked down, I spotted my date.

Luke looked...disappointingly bland. I guess I had expected him to dress up, but the boy stood outside the glass doors of the restaurant in a black zip-up jacket and faded blue jeans. His hair was still floppy, and nothing extraordinary radiated from his person.

Trailing after the couple I had come with, I couldn't help a stab of envy as I noticed Beth curling around Ryan's arm. When I was a few feet from Luke, I turned away from the couple and went to greet my date.

"Hi." I smiled brightly at him.

"Ah-Hi, Leslie," He replied, a dazed look glazing over his eyes as they swept over my person. "You-ah, look nic-great. Beautiful."

"Thanks…?" I could tell this was going to be a long...long...night.

"I-uh- got us all reserved seats," Luke continued as he turned to the other couple.

"Thanks, man. I'm Ryan by the way," Beth's date said with a hand extended. Luke stared at the proffered limb for a few seconds before he timidly shook Ryan's hand.

"I'm Luke."

"Well, let's get inside, shall we?" Beth interjected and tugged at Ryan's arm. "I'm getting cold."

We made our way inside, and after Luke stammered out his name, we were lead to our seats. I sat across from Ryan and Beth while Luke took a shaky seat next to me. The other couple seemed to gravitate towards one another, and I once again found myself a tad bit jealous of their easy chemistry. Squashing down my thoughts, I turned away from the couple and to my date.

"So," I began as I picked at a menu that the waiter set down for us, "What's your hobbies, Luke?"

"Uh...I...I like to knit."

I blinked. "You like to...knit?"

"That's right," he said as his eyes danced past my shoulder and then down to his lap. "Uh, what do you like to do?"

"Well, it's nothing as exciting or interesting as knitting, but I like to read." A pregnant pause from our side of the table ensued. Eventually I cleared my throat and continued once I realized the silence was a bit awkward. "I like mysteries...and Sci-Fi. Do you like any specific type of book?"

"Uh, no. I...I don't read."

"Oh."

And that's pretty much how the rest of the date went. While Beth and Ryan seemed to be having the times of their lives as they gazed dreamily into one another's eyes, Luke and I sat in silence with the occasional question popping it.

Mid-way through the date, I couldn't stand it anymore. I dug through my small purse that dangled from my shoulders and whipped out my phone. I quickly typed on the phone's screen and then tucked the device between my knees.

Beth's phone lit up (it was sitting face up on the table), and buzzed with a tiny chirp. The girl looked down, brow furrowed as she picked up her phone.

'You gotta get me outta here, Beth! I cant stand mr. Snoozeville over here!'

Beth's eyes peered up at me, but I avoided her gaze and instead stared at the waiter that was refilling an older couple's goblets of wine. A few seconds later I heard a chair squeak against the floor as it was shoved back.

"I need to go to the bathroom real quick," Beth declared. "Can you come with me, Leslie?"

"Of course!" I said with relief evident in my voice.

When we made it to the restroom, Beth went straight to the mirror. Setting her purse on the black granite counter, she dug through her purse until she procured a tube of lipgloss. "Is your date really going that badly?" She finally asked as she uncapped the lipgloss.

I leaned my hip against the counter space beside her with my arms crossed. "Worse than you think," I grumbled as I watched Beth swipe the gloss over her lips. "I don't know why I agreed to this. He's so boring like my Great Grammy Lou could be more entertaining than he is...and she's like an inch away from death."

"If the date's going that badly, why don't you just end it?" Beth suggested. She eyed her reflection before pursing her lips and then smacked them together.

"Because that's rude!"

Beth rolled her eyes and looked over at me from the corner of her eye. "Then that's your own fault then if you're still here isn't it?"

I made a frustrated noise and felt the childish urge to stomp my foot. "But Beth-"

"Don't you 'but Beth' me, missy. You don't have to be here. Why don't you go put your big girl panties on and go end the date if you're that miserable? You're acting like a baby."

I felt a wave of conflicted guilt. Here I was complaining like a kid to my best friend who was in the middle of her own wonderful date. But I couldn't stand another moment here...but I really didn't want to be rude.

"Fine," I sighed and went run a hand through my hair. "Sorry, Beth. You're right. I'm gonna go end this date now."

Beth nodded to her reflection as she put her recapped lipgloss back in her purse. She turned to me and grabbed my hand as she walked out the door of the restroom. "Don't worry, you'll probably feel better once you leave."

"I sure hope so."

When we made it to the table, Beth sat back down next to Ryan. I stood next to Luke's chair and felt my hand reach up to brush across my bottom lip. As the other couple continued on with their dinner, Luke noticed that I wasn't going to rejoin them.

"Ar-are you okay, Leslie?" He asked as he pushed back from the table.

"Uh, Luke, do you mind if you walk me outside?"

He looked over at my plate, most of it gone except for a few small pieces. "You're not going to finish your food first?"

"No, no it's fine. I-I just really want to, uh, talk to you real quick."

"Ah, sure, no problem. Hang on, lemme just-" He reached into his hoodie pocket and threw two twenties on the table. "There."

I walked alongside Luke as he weaved around the tables to the front entrance. When he pushed open the door, a cold gust of wind greeted us. The sun had fully set now, and the streetlights dimly lit the road and parking lot. We only walked a few feet from the entrance before I grabbed Luke's arm and stopped him.

"Look, Luke. You're a great guy, really. But I feel like we just don't click," I started, "I think it's best if we parted ways now and end our...date."

Luke looked confused as his eyes roamed over my face. "Wh-what? I thought we were having a great time."

"Luke, we barely had a decent conversation and most of our evening was spent in awkward silences. What part of that screams 'a great time'?"

"O..Okay. I guess I see your point...but can I, at least, drop you back off at the campus?" He looked like a hopeful puppy again, and I was almost tempted to say yes. I shook my head though.

"I think it's best that we part way. I'm really sorry, but it's not worth it. Besides, my dorm's only like three blocks away." (Okay so it was a bit farther than that, but I had faith in my luck and powers that I could get through the streets of Gotham. I mean it's only...eight, and I was really craving some frozen waffles right now).

"Please, I insist," Luke replied as he reached into his pocket and showed his keys to me.

"Look, Luke. I just really want to be alone right now, okay? I get that you're trying to be a gentleman, but please. I'm a big girl, I can handle myself."

"Bu-but-"

Feeling a flash of extreme annoyance, I narrowed my eyes and reached out to his phone mentally. Feeling its electrical waves respond to my prodding, I ordered it to vibrate violently in Luke's pocket. A few seconds later, and the hand that was holding his keys fell frantically to his pocket with his other hand. "Wh-what?" Luke hissed when he tried to touch his pocket, and even yelped as the vibrations started to sting the flesh behind the fabric of his pants.

With Luke still trying to fish his phone out of his pocket, I stomped away, feeling my anger dissipate into self-pity. I heaved a sigh when I rounded the block's corner, and I wrapped my arms around myself to preserve what warmth I had.

I know it's a little stupid to just ditch a free and relatively safe way home, but I really did feel like I needed to be alone right now. My date had been below satisfactory, and I couldn't help but feel a little bitter that Beth had had a great time with her own date. The only way I deemed that I could calm down was to find the nearest ATM machine, get some money for a cab ( I figured my date would pay for me and drive me home, so I didn't think I even needed to bring money), and then head home to heat up some frozen waffles I had hidden in the that in mind, I hurried along.

The night was darker than I would've liked, especially since the clouds customary to Gotham shielded the moon's beams. The streets were empty, the only signs of life coming from the buildings behind me back at the restaurant. All the cars parked alongside the curb were dark and cold, signs that they hadn't been used in a few hours. The buildings framing the street looked run down with a few even having their doors nailed shut with rotting planks of wood. I couldn't spy any telltale signs of life from these buildings beyond the occasional television reaching out to me. It looked like a ghost town out here, and I didn't like it.

I made sure to hop between the streetlamps' pools of warm yellow light, and kept my senses peeled for any sign of trouble. After asking one of these poles of light where the nearest ATM machine, my left hand balled into a fist around my purse strap. I kept imagining some sinister Rouge creeping from between the many alleyways I passed and snatching me off the street. I had to keep reminding myself that I wasn't as helpless as I kept thinking I was. It didn't help the pounding of my heart, or the sweat accumulating on my palms.

When the bright green sign that reads "24-Hour ATM" came into view, I gave a mental sigh of relief. I practically skipped over to the machine, and gently touched it. It hummed appreciatively under my fingers, and I smiled softly at it. It must get lonely out here during the night.

Noticing the camera placed at directly above the ATM, I looked behind me, trying to gauge how far the camera could see. "Do you think you can keep an eye out for me there, buddy?" The machine buzzed under my fingertips in affirmation. I grinned. "Thanks."

I twisted my purse around to where I could maneuver around in it and retrieve my wallet. I lifted the spiderman themed wallet out into the open and proceeded to flip it open so I could get my debit card. Before I could pull the piece of plastic out from its designated slot, I felt something hard and cold press against the back of my head. Following after this sensation, I heard the cock of a gun's safety.

I froze. Time seemed to stop as all my blood rushed to my head. A giant pit opened up in my stomach and my heart dived into it. I could practically feel the sudden taint of unadulterated fear course through my veins.

"Now, I'm only gonna ask this once, sweetheart, put your hands where I can see 'em," ordered a rough voice that one would associate with a chainsmoker.

I raised both arms above my head, my wallet grasped tightly in my right hand. I gulped as I felt the muzzle of the gun press harder into my skull and I shakily inched my foot to where my toe touched the ATM machine in front of me. Through the ATM machine, I was able to use my empathy to mentally hitch a ride on an electrical current to the camera. On my way up the current, I mentally cursed the camera. _Why didn't you feel the need to inform me a gunman was out there!_

When I was able to use the camera's optic view, what little hope I had of escaping this promptly shriveled and died. There were three of them. All armed with a small handgun and all of them had a freaking stereotypical black ski mask covering their faces. I didn't stand a snowball's chance in Hell, especially considering every single one of them didn't look an ounce below two hundred pounds

Well, I guess I'm screwed six ways 'til Sunday.

"Now, why don't you just put the wallet down nice an' slow, hm?" The same husky voice commanded. I slowly complied, bending at the knee. Feeling the gun follow my movements, I lowered myself until my left knee touched the gravely sidewalk. I lowered the hand containing my wallet, and I gingerly placed it beside me."Good, girl."

I wanted to feel mad; I wanted to command the ATM machine to rip itself open and use its electrical innards to grab at the crooks robbing me. But I couldn't. All I could feel was fear, fear for my life, and fear for the immediate future. I couldn't shake myself out of it, and I think that's what scared me the most.

Before the man behind me could crouch down and grab my wallet, I heard something zoom past my ear and embed itself in the concrete behind us. A hissing noise filled the air, and a barrage of smoke encompassed us.

"You guys picked the wrong night to go out."

"Shit! It's the Bat's brat!" yelled one of the men behind me.

While the man behind me was distracted by his companion's yelling, I pushed myself off the ground. At the same time, I slammed both of my hands on either side of the ATM and closed my eyes. My energy practically flung out of my body and into the machine. A tingling sensation prickled at the back of my head. The sound of flesh hitting flesh reverberated behind me and I mentally prayed that the vigilante boy wonder behind me was too busy to notice me. Two seconds later the ringing of metal being torn apart and the snapping of electricity encircled me and the thug. The cords that had laid docile within the ATM sprung to life like vipers and whipped passed me to latch onto the man. An agonizing scream resounded and I heard the gun clatter to the ground. I ducked under the wires and ran.

I made the mistake of looking back. Robin stood over the prone forms of the two men and was watching with widened eyes (or I assumed they were widened because the white parts of his mask were certainly bigger than I thought the should be). He looked older than I thought he'd be but younger than you'd expect for a crime-fighting vigilante. He looked around my age, if not younger, but definitely older than the pre-teen image I thought he'd have. He was donned in his signature red top with the R logo stitched onto his breast. A yellow cape fluttered behind him, and his domino mask accentuated his cheekbones. A mop of ruffled black hair curled on his forehead and I absently wondered if it ever obscured his vision. When My eyes landed on his green pixie shorts and I felt a swirl of confusion before it dissipated when I noticed that his head has turned to look in my direction.

My head jerked back to the front. "Hey! Wait!" I heard Robin call out, but I ran faster, pushing my legs to work past the burn building up in them. I heard the sound of boots hitting the cement, but before he could catch me, I did something that I added to tonight's receipts of stupid decisions.

I closed my eyes and pushed out my energy. When it hit the light posts around us, the warm glows of the bulbs inside of them were snuffed out. Then the sound of a car, the one closest to us, rumbled to life and reversed onto the curb of the sidewalk. Total darkness engulfed the street beside the car's headlights. The car's engine gave a rumble as it turned and drove down the street. The boots that had been pounding behind me stopped as I heard Robin mutter an expletive. After a moment of hesitation, the boy wonder took off after the car.

Good, I thought with relief, the distraction worked. I had been banking on the fact that Robin would be more occupied with a random car driving off from a previously abandoned street rather than following after me. It seemed my assumption was right, and he had gone after the suspicious vehicle. Now I only prayed that the vigilante's mentor wouldn't show up too.

I continued back towards the restaurant I had left, my breathing labored beyond belief and my limbs drained from using my powers and the running. My surge hadn't reached the restaurant (Thank goodness), and I was soon able to see the twinkling lights within. I quickly pushed my way passed the glass doors and into the lobby. A couple who was exiting through the opposite side eyed me warily and I realized I probably looked like a mess. No doubt my makeup was smudged thanks to the sweat running down my face, and my hair probably resembled a rat's nest.

"Leslie? What are you still doing here?"

My head swerved to Beth who was clinging to Ryan's arm. I almost collapsed in a happy puddle of goo right then and there. I hadn't missed them leaving. "I need a ride home," I panted as I pressed both my hands at the base of my back so I could physically straighten it and clear my airways.

"I thought you left with Luke-" She paused as she dug out her phone and checked the time, "forty-five minutes ago?"

I felt my list of stupid decisions pop up in my head and I cringed. "Well, that's not exactly what happened."

"What do you mean?"

"I sorta...ditched him."

Ryan's eyebrow rose and Beth looked like how my mom would look whenever I or my siblings got into trouble. "So what have you been doing this whole time?!" Beth nearly shrieked. Ryan gently patted her arm, but she ripped herself away from her date and dragged me back outside. The suddenly cold air caused me to shiver violently. I spotted Ryan ducking out after us and heading towards the parking lot in a light jog.

"I was trying to go get some money for a cab when-" I stopped briefly. I couldn't just tell Beth I was almost mugged. "I realized I didn't have my wallet."

"So you were just walking around Gotham, alone and at night? What is wrong with you, Leslie? And why do you look like you were rolling around in the dirt? My hard work is all ruined!"

"Look," I sighed, "Can we just get in the car and go home, please? You can chew me out later. I don't know if you know this, but it's really cold out right now."

Beth's eyes narrowed and she waggled a finger at me. Normally I would be amused if she did something like this, but Beth looked like a force to be reckoned with. "We're not done, not by a long shot."

"Okay," I replied.

I hugged myself, and I guess Fate took pity on me because nearly right after that Ryan pulled up in his car. I opened my door and slid into the back, my hand clutching tightly at the purse strap I had nearly forgotten about. As Beth settled into the front seat, I leafed through my purse and grabbed my phone. I pulled it out when a jolt of a horrifying realization struck my stomach.

I left my wallet at the ATM.

Well fuck me.

* * *

 _Dear goodness gracious this chapter has to be the longest chapter I've ever written for anything (hopefully I can write more as long as this bad boy lmao)._ _Anyway, Yay! I can finally start moving this thing along, plotwise. And I've decided to bump the rating up for later content (nothing too bad, just some gore and language really, but just in case, you know?). But anyway, enjoy this chapter,_ _Don't expect another update for a while lol._


	4. Four

**Four**

 **Warning(s):** Language

* * *

Despite Beth's stubborn prodding, she never did learn why my dress got so dirty. I refused to budge from my story (even though I myself found it as flimsy as she did). I didn't want her to worry unnecessarily about me going out; I didn't need an overprotective mom figure. All my life I've never been closely monitored, and I definitely wasn't going to start now, best friend or no. Begrudgingly, the curly haired beauty finally gave up (with a roll of her eyes and a crossing of her arms might I add).

Regardless, while Beth finally stopped nagging me, my own paranoia did not. A week slipped by, and the nervous crackle of static that followed my every step clung to me like a second skin and refused to go away. Annoyed, but also willing to acknowledge that trekking about the alleyways of Gotham now made me unbearably apprehensive, I relentlessly tried to calm down my now rampant technological empathy. Ever since That Night (or as I like to call it, _the-worst-date-in-the-history-of-terrible-dates_ ), it was like my body sent out a homing beacon that caused every electronic in a twenty-foot radius to hone in on me. I felt like a giant electromagnet that had it's off switch destroyed. Every light seemed to brighten when I walked by it, cell phones rang insistently in the pockets of strangers, and the (admittedly useless) traffic cameras followed my every move. I've even had to quickly stop an idling car or two from tailing after me, much to mine and the drivers of said cars' horror.

Needless to say, I was freaked out and potentially scarred for life, no matter how much I tried to deny it. In Colorado, I never had to deal with random thugs wanting to rob me, nor caped and masked vigilantes swooping in to save my butt. Gotham though, I quickly learned, was a whole other can of worms.

...and then of course there was the problem of my wallet going AWOL. The day after my encounter with the thugs, I returned to the scene of the crime. I was probably being too naively hopeful by wishing my wallet would still sitting innocently on the pavement beside the ATM machine. Of course, it wasn't there. After interrogating a rather figuratively tight-lipped ATM machine camera (I'm sure I looked like a complete basket case while doing so), I resigned my search and headed back to my dorm.

I couldn't help but think the person who had swooped in to save me, who I had finally figured to be Robin, had taken my wallet. While I wouldn't have been too worried about that, I couldn't help thinking that he saw the extent of my abilities while he knocked out the goons behind me. It was because of this that I not only thought some petty criminals would come after me, but some curious "superheroes" as well.

Eventually, when the second week rolled around after the incident, I finally convinced myself that nothing bad would happen to me. My powers dampened to a more manageable level, and I found myself going back to the previous daily routine I had established weeks prior. While it was undoubtedly awkward sitting a few rows away from Luke in English, everything else remained relatively the same. That relative sameness kind of unsettled me because honestly I expected _something_ to change. But nope, nothing did.

"Leslie, are you even listening to me?" Beth asked, her eyes narrowed with a french fry poised near her mouth.

Caught in my internal musing, I blinked before glancing down at the half eaten burger in my hands. It had become a sort of tradition for us to eat greasy, unhealthy food every Thursday. It didn't really start up until the second week we'd started classes, but I figured it'd been almost two months, and it could be considered tradition now. It was one of the many things in my routine I could count on.

"Uh, yeah," I answered with a chagrined smile and a bat of my lashes.

"No you weren't, you freakin' liar," Beth replied with an accusatory tone as she pointed at me with her french fry. "What did I even say, hm?"

"Um, that you have a date with Ryan tomorrow…?"

My roommate looked at me with suspicion before popping her fry into her mouth. "Lucky guess."

Another sort of tradition that had started up, albeit more recently, was Beth's dates with Ryan every Tuesday and Friday night. Though I didn't think the couple intentionally made it out to be so predictable, I couldn't help but notice. I thought it was sort of cute, and I was silently really happy that the two got along so well.

I rolled my eyes at her dramatics before stuffing the burger into my mouth.

"By the way, Les, there was a package for you by the door step today," Beth said after a few beats of silence.

I raised an eyebrow. "Really? Who'd send me something?"

Beth shrugged as she pushed herself off the carpet that was in front of our coffee table and stood up. She rubbed her hands on the sweatpants she was wearing. "Not sure. There wasn't a return address on the package, so I just left it in your room." Beth cocked her head in contemplation before she gave another shrug. "Tell me what it is. It didn't weigh that much despite the fact it was a big box." With that Beth gathered up her trash, threw it away, and strolled over to her room so she could slip behind the door.

Curious now, I stood up as well and walked over to my door. I wiped the grease off my hand and turned the knob.

My room was dark, so I walked inside with my arms held out in front of me like some sort of zombie. After stepping over a few piles of clothes, my knees bumped into my bed. I crawled on top of it and patted my hand against the wall until I found the wire that led to a plug for some Christmas lights that hung above my bed. Grasping the wire, I poked at the wall with the plug until I was able to find an outlet and finally cause a warm flood of dim lighting to wash over me. Blinking so that my eyes could adjust to the light, I turned my attention to the box that lay at the foot of my bed.

True to Beth's word, the package didn't have a return address, and the only writing on the box was a few scribbles that spelled out my name. Suspicious, but still predominantly driven by my curiosity, I grabbed at the edge of the box and pulled it towards me. I frowned at how light it was. The size of the box certainly belied the true nature of what lay inside it. It weighed about as much as a bag of feathers. I shrugged before digging my hand into the tape that held the box's top flaps together. I caught my nails on the edge of it and yanked it back. The tape came off surprisingly cleanly, and I balled it up before throwing it over towards my door. Moving the box's flaps, I stuck my hand into to the dark crevice.

My hand patted around a few seconds before it caught the edge of a postcard attached to something leathery. My brows furrowed as I pulled the thing out. My heart dropped to the pit of my stomach when I finally saw what was in the box.

My wallet lay in my palm, looking as shiny as it had looked the night I had left it at the ATM. A rubber band wrapped around the middle of the black leather, allowing a crisp, white note card to be bound to it.

I swallowed the saliva that pooled in my mouth before lightly yanking the note card off my wallet. The rubber band rolled off with it, and I quickly flipped open my wallet to investigate it. After a thorough search, I noted that nothing seemed to be out of place.

I turned back to the note card, a sense of dread wrapping around my stomach. I picked it up with shaky hands and flipped it over. In the same scrawl that adorned the cardboard box, the note card simply read,

 _Found this. Thought you might want it back._

 _-R_

"Holy shit," I breathed, my heartbeat increasing. Robin had been to my dorm. He knew where I lived...He could know practically everything about me now! I felt a distinct fear sink its claws into me. Batman might know what I am now.

I threw the note card away from me, and I watched as it fluttered to the ground. I turned to my wallet and patted my fingers around its sides. I closed my eyes and sent out my empathy just to make sure some sort of tracker wasn't hidden in it. When an electrical signal failed to radiate from my wallet, I allowed myself to relax, if only slightly.

Licking my chapped lips, I pushed myself off the bed. I grabbed at the box and stuff the note card inside of it. I then swooped down and grabbed the ball of tape so I could toss it into the box as well. I opened the door, peered over at Beth's, and then tiptoed my way to our door. I unlocked it and slipped outside.

When I returned to the dorm after dumping the box in the dumpster just outside the dorm building, I darted into my room and tucked myself deep under my blankets. It might have been a bit childish, but I secretly hoped the blanket could ward off my fears...or Batman. Either one worked. It might be weird to be afraid of Batman even though I technically haven't done anything wrong (so what if I cheated a time or two on a test, I hardly think that warrants a crime-fighting vigilante attention). Just the thought though of him finding out about my powers and deeming me unsafe terrified me.

I've seen what happens to people with these extra abilities. I didn't want to be locked in a place like Arkham...and I definitely didn't want to be a superhero.

* * *

"Beth! Be-eth. Bethy-poo. Elizabeth Marie Johnson!"

"Oh my gosh, Leslie I swear if you don't shut-"

"But it's important, Bethy-poo!"

The curly haired girl looked up from the finance textbook sprawled out in her lap and over at me with a scowl carved into her face. "Fine, I'll listen if you stop saying that."

"Saying what? Bethy-poo? I dunno, I kind of like it, ya' know? Makes you sound less intimidating."

"Leslie, I have test I need to be studying for, so please, spill whatever you want to tell-"

"Okay, okay, sheesh." I rolled my eyes before I practically bounced over to her and hung myself around her shoulders. I pressed my cheek against Beth's with a wide grin. "Guess what?"

After a few moments of Beth waiting expectantly for me to continue, she sighed and glanced over at me from the corner of her eye. "Fine, what?"

"I got the internship!"

Beth's eyes widened and she smiled briefly at me before pushing me off of her. I laughed as I twirled away from the couch. "They called a few minutes ago. My first shift is tomorrow. Do you know what this means, Bethy-poo? I made it! I can finally start my lifelong goal of helping humanity grow technologically." I sighed dreamily before draping over the arm of the couch to where I was looking at Beth at an upside down angle. "It's so surreal."

"Yeah, well, I'm glad you got the internship. From what I've heard, it's really hard to get. So why don't you go out and get some celebratory ice cream or something?" Beth turned back to her textbook and I pretended not to hear her mutter the 'so I can get some actual work done' under her breath.

"Great idea! Want me to get you something?"

"No, no I'm fine."

I watched as Beth hunched back over her textbook, and I huffed like a dog that's being ignored by its owner. "Alright, I'll be back later."

I swung up from my upside down position and marched towards the door. I paused, then spun back to the living room to grab my purse. Checking to make sure my new wallet (this one had little dogs all over it, I figured I didn't want a constant reminder of my paranoia) was tucked safely inside, I slipped my phone out of my back pocket. I glanced up at Beth, and noted that she probably didn't even look up from her textbook.

"Okay, well, now I'm leaving," I mumbled while twiddling my fingers half-heartedly at Beth. When the girl only gave me the briefest of nods, I ducked my head and headed out.

When I finally meandered my way down the dorm building, my nose was buried deep into my phone, and I definitely wasn't paying attention. I had full confidence that either my peripherals or phone would warn me of anything coming my way. Too bad my phone didn't get the memo, and a rather interesting article on Superman had garnered my full attention.

I barely registered the couple in front of me, and unfortunately for me, I accidentally tripped over one of their heels. I gave a startled yelp, my hands flinging forward and smacking the person I had tripped over's back. The solid thump had them toppling over too, and I squeaked when I landed on top of them.

"Oh my gosh, I am so, so, so sorry!" I gasped as I scrambled back to my feet, my face practically on fire.

The other person let loose a loud laugh that bent him in half, and I turned to stare dumbfoundedly at who decided this was funny. "Dick?" I nearly screeched, and if at all possible, my face grew hotter. Dear God, smite me now please.

"You should see your face right now," Dick chuckled as he wiped at some imaginary tears. "Absolutely priceless."

"Yeah, well, maybe I should fix yours, asshole. And by the way, thanks for helping me up. Really appreciate it," muttered the person I had tripped over. I felt a ball drop in my stomach. Oh my gosh did I really just forget about the poor dude I had just tripped over?

"Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry!" I said while trying to smother the feeling of wanting to cover my face. I turned to assess the damage I'd caused, but I felt my brain stutter to a stop.

If I had thought Dick was hot, this dude definitely exceeded expectations. While he looked a little younger than Dick (more around my age actually), I couldn't deny that this guy held a certain appeal that I couldn't quite put my finger on. As he dusted off the dirt that had stuck to his knees, I noticed that his hands looked large and scuffed. My eyes trailed up to his face, and along the way I noted that he had a black jacket covering a white shirt that now also had a bit of dirt on it. His nose was where I momentarily stopped. It looked really nice, and if I were a more artistically inclined person, I'd say it looked like some marble statue's nose. His hair, a dark black, spiked up around his face, and I had the strange urge to ruffle it up more despite its already messy appearance.

Blinking, I realized I was staring, and I finally forced myself to look the guy in the eyes. I almost had a panic attack.

Startling light blue guys pierced my own, and I could see a glimmer of something I couldn't quite identify in his eyes (it looked strangely like recognition, but I'm pretty sure I've never seen him before), but cocky amusement quickly replaced it. It took me about .3 seconds to realize that he had totally seen me checking him out, and I looked away from his face and slid my hand up to rake through my bangs nervously.

"You done checking me out yet?" He asked, a smirk toying at the corner of his lips.

I had to force myself to swallow the strangled noise rising in my throat. Avoiding direct eye contact, I promptly decided to ignore his question. "Are you okay? I'm so sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going, and it's totally my fault that you fell. I really should start to pay attention when I'm walking. I nearly run into people all the time and I..." I cut myself off before I could ramble on.

Raising one brow, the guy appraised me for a few seconds. "I'm fine," He curtly replied before turning to Dick, "You know her, Grayson?"

"Yeah, we met a few weeks ago when I went to go visit Barbara. Glad to see you're still doing good, Leslie," Dick said, a dazzling smile taking up his face.

"Ah, you too, Dick. I'll uh...leave you two gentlemen alone now...I think my roommate is calling me," I announced while shaking my phone at them. Right as I was about to turn and flee to the nearest restroom so I could go drown myself and end my mortification, an arm slung itself around my shoulders.

"Now, Leslie, there's no need to rush! We both know your phone's not ringing, and you were obviously out here for a reason. Why don't we go get something to eat? That way we can properly catch up, and I can introduce you to my brother, Jason," Dick suggested with a jerk in the direction of the guy I had knocked down.

"I'm not your brother," the newly dubbed Jason growled out with his arms crossed.

"Ouch, that hurts," Dick replied with mock hurt lacing his voice.

"Good."

After a few more playful and not so playful words were exchanged in a similar manner, Dick looked back down at me. "But really, Leslie, what do you say?"

"I...I mean, if you guys want to go get some ice cream, I was just about to go get some…" I finally conceded.

"Great! I've been craving something sweet lately to be honest. Do you have a place in mind? I know this one little parlor that has the best little bakery inside of it," Dick prattled as he steered me down the street. "Come on, Jaybird."

"What have I told you about calling me that?" Jason bit out, but when I peeked back at him, I noticed that he trailed after us.

I felt like my face had a permanent red glow on it. In all honestly, I didn't really feel up to eating with, admittedly, attractive boys...especially after I tripped over one of them and caused him to fall. However, the weight on my shoulders didn't disappear, and Dick's cheerful chatter filled my ears. I couldn't help but internally chuckle at his blabbering. He didn't initially seem like such a chatterbox.

We soon entered a tiny family owned ice cream parlor with a bakery inside of it. The person behind the counter, a round short Hispanic man with a black mustache that showed signs of graying, practically lit up when he caught sight of Dick, and excitedly greeted us in a rough voice.

"Mr. Grayson and Mr. Todd! What a pleasure to see you again! I was beginning to think you'd never come back here!" The man proclaimed with a wide smile.

Dick laughed. "I could never stay away from here, Julio. You're wife makes the best cookies."

"Haha! That she does! And who is your friend here?" Julio asked with an inquisitive glance. I still had Dick's arm draped around me.

"Ah, where are my manners! Alfred would be so disappointed in me!" Dick exclaimed. I idly wondered who Alfred was as I spotted the ever constant twinkle in Dick's eye brighten. He slid his arm off of me and gestured towards me with his hand. "Leslie, this is Julio Garcia. Julio, this is Leslie."

I smiled. "Nice to meet you, sir."

Julio waved a hand. "None of that 'sir', business. Please, call me Julio. Now, what can I get you?"

Jason hung back behind us as Dick immediately ordered some chocolate chip cookies, and I peered into the glass encasing the ice cream. When Dick got his order, he gestured towards a booth by the window and went to sit beside it. I was still ordering, so I nodded and continued to peruse the ice cream.

"Are you going to pick anything anytime soon?" Jason asked from behind me. "Some of us are waiting."

I glanced back at him. "You can pick something out before me if you want."

He shrugged and stepped beside me. "You know, they have some very good vanilla ice cream."

I scrunched up my nose. "I didn't peg you for a vanilla type of person."

"What did you peg me as then?"

I blushed when I looked up at him and noticed that he was staring at me. I've never been very good at talking to guys I find attractive. "I...I dunno, maybe a chocolate peanut butter type of person."

Jason gave another cocky smirk and shook his head. He told Julio that he wanted a single scoop of vanilla in a bowl. When he got it, he walked over to sit across from Dick. I stared at his back before I turned back to the ice cream.

Eventually, I decided on getting some coffee flavored ice cream. I held out my money, but Julio just waved it off. Not one to pass up free things, I smiled broadly at him and thanked him for my ice cream.

I walked over to the booth, waffle cone tightly clenched in my hand as I licked at the treat inside. Dick looked up from his phone, his eyes flickering to the ice cream in my hand. "I see you finally picked something," he said with amusement drenching his tone.

"Yeah, it only took you, what? Ten minutes?" Jason drawled as he licked the ice cream on the spoon in his hand.

I looked at them both with a deadpan expression before dryly stating, "You guys were the ones that dragged me here...literally."

"We're joking," Jason replied with a roll of his eyes.

"Hey, Leslie, why don't you come sit by me?" Dick suggested before I could reply. He shot Jason a brief glare, but the way that his face reverted back to its constantly amused expression made me think I'd imagined it.

"Uh, sure." I slid in beside the black haired boy. We sat in silence for a few moments with me just absently licking at my ice cream cone, Jason staring out at the street with his spoon dipping in and out of his bowl, and Dick texting (I'd gotten better at not being nosy during my teenage years, so I was able to successfully block out the words residing on the edge of my thoughts). When I couldn't stand the silence any longer (okay so I caved even though like a couple seconds passed), I blurted the first question that came to mind, "So...what's this about you two being brothers?"

Jason opened his mouth to say something, but Dick intervened before he could. "We're not technically brothers. We're both adopted actually. Our father is...well..." Dick looked a little uncomfortable then, and I felt my curiosity pique.

"He's Bruce Wayne," Jason stated bluntly.

Both of them looked at me expectantly, like I was supposed dissolve into a fit of excited giggles or something. I will admit, I did feel a bit of a whirl in my stomach at the news, but I just blinked in mild shock. "You mean to tell me your...dad...is Bruce Wayne? As in _the_ Bruce Wayne? Like, Bruce Wayne of Wayne Enterprises, Bruce Wayne?"

"That's what I said, isn't it?"

"Oh...okay."

Dick stared at me with faint surprise while Jason turned back to gaze out the window with his spoon in his mouth. I looked at them both in confusion when they failed to respond. "What?"

"That's it? No fangirling? No freaking out?" Dick asked.

"...No? Does that thing happen often? I mean, that's really, really cool that your dad is like, one of _the_ richest guys, and the CEO of my dream company, but I mean, I'm not gonna like, explode into happy fairy dust now that I have a way to meet Bruce Wayne. I mean I get that he's like supposed to be super hot and all-and he is a part of a super successful company-, but isn't he sort of...no offense, super vain or ditzy or something? Besides, I'm already guaranteed to meet him thanks to my new internship at his company."

Dick looked extremely amused by my thoughts on Bruce Wayne as he muttered offhandedly,"I guess that's one way of putting it." Jason snorted at that.

"So you have an internship there? When did that happen?" Dick asked after a moment of processing the rest of what I said.

"I was called this morning and told that I got the position. That's sorta why I was out and about…I wanted to celebrate," I replied before nibbling on my ice cream cone.

"Well, I'm glad I forced you to come with us then. I'd hate to think you didn't get ice cream because of us."

"Actually, it would've been my fault because I tripped over you…"

"In any case, I say we give a toast to your new intern-" Before Dick could finish his sentence, his phone started ringing. I tried to ignore the sound (I'd been doing so good lately, no slip ups for a few weeks now), but I found my eyes sliding over to Dick's lap. The smart phone sat cradled in between his legs, the screen lit up with an unlisted number emblazoned where the contact name would've been. "Ah, let me get this real quick. Leslie, you mind scooting out?"

I did just that, my curiosity returning as the older boy slid out behind me and walked over to the door and stepped outside. I really wanted to not listen in, honest, but the phone I had been diligently ignoring seemed to be calling out to me more than normal. I stood there, my hand curled around my cone, melted ice cream trailing down my fingers, and listened (slightly) unwillingly.

Most of the conversation I was able to block out, but a few whispered words came through. The person on the other line sounded like they were telling Dick about something happening in a place called Blüdhaven. I couldn't quite catch what it was about, only that the other person sounded like they wanted to have Dick check it out...though what Dick could do to "check out" this Blüdhaven place (It sounded really creepy now that I think about it. I mean who names a place that sounds like Bloodhaven?), I didn't know. Dick replied with a terse affirmative before hanging up on the person.

"You do realize you're making a huge mess right now, right?" Jason remarked.

I jumped a bit when he said that, not even realizing I'd just been standing there staring out at Dick. I turned to the other dark haired boy, noticing that he'd finished his ice cream and was now just reclining in his seat with a slight curl at the end of the corner of his lips. I looked then down at my hand and internally groaned. My hand was drenched in caramel color liquid, and I could tell that it was already sticking stubbornly to my skin.

"Well I do now," I deadpanned as I grabbed at some napkins that sat in the middle of the table.

"You do know Grayson has a girlfriend right?" Jason continued.

I didn't. I mean he's good looking, so why wouldn't he have a girlfriend? "I mean...I figured? Is it Barbara?"

Jason's nose crinkled in disgust. "Barbie? Hell no. It's some girl he met...out of town." The way he said the last part made me think he wanted to tell me something else. I didn't say anything about that, but I did catalog that for further examination at a later date. "Her name's Kori...at least that's her nickname."

"Well good for him."

"Yeah, so you should probably tone down on the staring there, blondie."

"I was _not_ staring at him!"

"Oh right, you must've been admiring Dickie then, huh?"

"I-I-Oh my gosh, I wasn't doing anything like that! My eyes just happened to in his direction when I was thinking!"

"Sure...thinking about that Dick."

My face and ears felt really warm when I caught onto the double entendre. It got worse when the topic of our discussion walked in with a smile plastered onto his face.

"Sorry about that guys, I just got a call in from work. I need to go cover someone's shift. Sorry for skipping out on you like this, Leslie. Especially since I sort of forced you to come," Dick said with an apologetic tone.

"Uh, it's fine, really. I understand," I replied quickly while running a hand through my hair. Hopefully it covered my ears enough to where Dick couldn't see how red they still were.

"Okay great. I guess I'll be seeing you later then?"

"Er, yeah. Have fun at work."

"Oh, he will," Jason chimed in before he stood up to leave too.

"Oh...well...good I guess?" I said as I watched Dick give Jason a pointed look and then turn to wave at me.

"You take care, Leslie, and don't be a stranger." Dick turned and said goodbye to Julio as well before he made his way outside. Less than three seconds later Jason also left with nod in my direction.

I stood in the parlor, a little confused as I watched the two boys disappear into the crowds. Their quick escape left me a little dizzy, and it took me a few seconds to realize that I was just standing there. I threw away the rest of my soggy cone.

It wouldn't be until much later that I realized that I should've followed the boys...or at least asked for one of their numbers. Of course, by then it'd be a bit too late.

* * *

"You know that one person I encountered a few weeks ago?"

"Hmm? Yeah, I think I remember. Why?"

"That was her."

"Oh? Really? Are you sure?"

"Yeah...I don't want to tell Bruce yet though. I want to be certain. Last thing I need is him thinking I'm being a dumb kid and not take me seriously."

"You do realize it's impossible to keep anything from him, right? He's going to find out, one way or another."

"Yeah, well you better not tell him, dickhead. I don't know why I even told you in the first place."

"Because I found out about it? Like how Bruce will. You really shouldn't be out patrolling alone while the Joker is on the loose. You know how anal Bruce is about that."

"Shut up. I know what I'm doing."

"Always so rude...I'm just trying to watch out for you. Didn't Alfred teach you any manners?"

"Didn't you have a mission?"

"...Touché."

* * *

 _I told you it'd be a while before an update didn't I? Also an explanation on some things is that this is a slightly AU story with a lot of comic elements still tying into it. My time line's a little confusing (even to me sadly), but this takes place basically about 5 years after Jason is taken in by Batman at 12 (I couldnt quite find his real age anyway pre new 52 so yeahh…that the basic origin we're going with btw, the one where he's stealing a tire and all that). Anyway this story is 5 years later, Jason's 17 and basically about to not be robin anymore...I think you know what that means. Barbara, is also not getting paralyzed until later on after Jason's death. She should be around...20ish at this time along with Dick. But yeah, just wanted to clarify that the time line for this is a little wonky._

 _Side note: yay, about to actually start the good stuff after this!_


	5. Five

**Five**

* * *

" _Lay that pistol down, babe, lay that pistol down_ ," I hummed under my breath as I thumbed through a stack of papers. " _Pistol packing mama…"_ I paused as I finally found the paper I needed. A triumphant smile split my face, and I placed the stack back into the filing cabinet. "About time I found you, you sneaky little paper you. Thinkin' you can just hide from lil' ol' Leslie, huh? _Tsk tsk._ "

"Glad to see you're enjoying yourself," remarked a smooth masculine voice.

I almost screeched as I pinched my mouth shut and spun around to look at the person who'd come into the room with me. The paper in my hand fluttered carelessly to the ground. I didn't even notice it to be honest. Instead I found myself stuck like a deer in headlights.

"Ah-ah, Mr. Wayne! What- How can I help you, sir?" I stuttered.

"I apologize I didn't realize anyone would be in here. I was coming in here to make sure that Lucius was getting the papers I needed, but I see that you have everything covered. I don't believe we've met. Bruce Wayne," he remarked as I blinked at the easy going smirk curling the corner of his lip and the hand outstretched toward me.

Despite the fact that I started my internship two weeks ago, I had yet to meet the infamous Bruce Wayne. I've heard the receptionists and other women in the offices titter about him, and of course I had met a few of his major employees (Mr. Fox being one of them). I've even seen him walking to his office or out the door in the lobby. Seeing him though, and him actually see and processing me as an actual person rather than a background character was a bit intimidating...especially considering my goal was to eventually work for him.

"Er, hello. Leslie Marvey," I replied with an attempt at a smile as I grasped his hand. Was it weird that I noticed that they were rougher than I thought they'd be?

"Nice to meet you." Goodness, could his smile be anymore blinding?

"You too, sir."

"I must say, you certainly have made Lucius' life better. Poor man is always drowning in paperwork. I'm glad he took my advice and looked for an intern," Bruce said as he bent down to pick up the paper I had forgotten about. I felt my cheeks heat up when he passed it to me. "I trust you're enjoying your time here?"

He swept an arm out and ushered me out of the room as I replied, "Of course, sir! I-I love it here! I'm-" I bit my tongue to stop myself from gushing out my enthusiasm. No need to weird out my sort of boss.

Bruce, who for some reason was walking me down the hall to the elevator,tilted his head in what I presumed to be curiosity. I could almost feel the employees around us staring at me( I think there was a few glares tossed in there too). "You what, Leslie?" Bruce asked.

"I-um...I was going to say that I really hoped to see your technology labs at some point in my internship. I've always dreamed of seeing them...and possibly working in them one day. They have to be one of _the_ top research labs in the world."

I refused to look up at Bruce, instead feeling a little naive that I had shared my dream with CEO of Wayne Enterprises. Luckily, I didn't have to look directly at Bruce to know that he found my answer amusing. The chrome elevator doors in front of us revealed Bruce's smile which was softer and more genuine than it had appeared earlier in our conversation.

"I take it you're a huge fan of Wayne Enterprises," Bruce remarked as the elevator doors slipped open.

"Naturally, sir." I stepped into the elevator and turned to see Bruce still outside. He had his phone pressed against his ear (Surprisingly I hadn't even noticed that it had been ringing). The phone itself looked futuristic, but that was all I was able to process before a stabbing pain erupted from behind my eyes at the strong pulses the device sent out. I hissed while placing a hand up to my forehead. Dimly, I registered Bruce's voice as he talked to the person on the other line. For some reason I couldn't really hear the person Bruce was talking to, but I was in too much pain to really pay attention to that detail.

The doors had slid shut during my sudden migraine, and I slowly registered that the elevator ascend to the next floor. I groaned as the ding from the elevator arriving at its destination caused the headache to pulse once more.

I placed my hand on the doors and pushed passed a few disgruntled businessmen as they loaded onto the elevator. When I heard the murmur of their voices grow dimmer and the elevator buzzing as it carried on its merry way, I glanced up. I was in an empty hall, the bright floor and sunlight from the windows causing me to squint my eyes and growl in pain.

What the hell was that? I slumped against the window, the paper in my hand crumpling. It was like the phone had so much...power? If that made sense. When my normal empathy had reached out to that outlet of energy, it had been...forcefully pushed out? From experience I knew that this meant the device had been on a secure line...like secret-government-black-ops-shush-shush secure. Like every hacker kid in the movies, I had indeed tried to get into government files and the what not (I mean come on, who doesn't want to know the truth behind conspiracy theories like Roswell and 9/11?). Sure it was easy to skim the surface files, but once I tried to dig deeper it was like running into an electric fence. It shocked me out of my meditative state, and I had a migraine to last for days. As you can probably imagine, I did not try that again.

That's what Bruce's phone felt like. Like an amped up electric fence...something that drew me in, but forcefully kept me out. It was an extremely powerful device. It made me wonder, just what was Bruce Wayne hiding?

* * *

"Ah, Leslie, I was wondering where you ran off to," Mr. Fox murmured with a slightly condescending look as I ducked into his office with a sheepish smile.

"Sorry, Mr. Fox."

"Well, did you at least get the paper I needed?"

I grimaced and shuffled over to the man's desk. He raised an eyebrow at the paper's crumpled state, but didn't say anything. I was silently thankful for that.

"Um, Mr. Fox?" I began once Fox turned back to his computer after he had placed the paper in one of the drawers.

"Yes, Leslie?"

"Would you mind if I stepped out for a few minutes-unless you needed me to do something for you?"

Fox waved me off, "You're fine. I'll page you if I need you."

"Thank you, sir," I replied as I headed back out into the hall. I looked both ways, noting that the clock on the wall read around 12:45. Good. A good majority of Wayne Enterprise Employees should still be at lunch.

I slunk down the hall, wary of running into everyone as I made it to the stairs. I was about to do something a little stupid, and the sad part was my conscious wasn't making me forget. Luckily, I was able to push the voice telling me to stop and go back to Fox, and instead I pushed my empathy to latch onto any technological device in the vicinity. Which was a lot.

I pushed into the stairwell and grabbed onto the railing as the usual flood of information surrounded me. It took me a few seconds but I was able to pinpoint the energy of a computer that resided in the research labs. I slowly made my way down the stairs, glad that barely anyone wanted to brace the seemingly hundreds of flights of stairs and instead chose to travel in the elevator. It'd be hard to explain why I was about 3 floors underground and not in a section I was necessarily sanctioned to be in.

When I reached the floor I needed to be in, I was stopped short by an electric door that needed an ID. Sighing, I sauntered up to the door and placed my hand on it. At first the thing stubbornly refused to let me through. After about twenty minutes I found a kink in its so called armor and I was able to give it a false ID.

The door slid open to reveal a dark space. I arched an eyebrow and slowly walked into the room. Sensors picked up my movement and the lights flickered on until I found myself in something I considered heaven.

Blueprints of all kinds littered the tables scattered about the room. Some prototypes were displayed in glass cases lining the wall, and I stopped short when I noticed that some of them had odd shapes. It looked like adventuring gear. Oh that one looked like a cool walkie talkie...I shook my head and headed to the computer nestled in the corner.

I paused in the middle of the room. No one was in here right? I craned my head to look up and I spotted a camera. With my eyes honed in on it I coaxed it to play a stream on loop and delete any film of me. Surprisingly, it wasn't difficult.

I plopped down in the chair in front of the computer and I slowly placed my hand on the keyboard. I took a deep breath and dove head first into the network.

* * *

I glanced in confusion at the envelope being handed to me. My gaze shifted to Fox. "What's this?"

Fox huffed and tossed the envelope on the desk in front of me. "Bruce Wayne is always holding a gala of some sort, and he always extends invites to his employees. He told me to offer an invite to you since you're technically a part of the staff."

"Oh," I replied as I slid the envelope into my hand and opened it. "When is it?"

"Next Friday. Be sure to dress fancy. It wouldn't be good to be the only one there under dressed."

"Of course. Do you need anything else?"

Fox had his back turned so he just lifted a hand as a dismissal. "No, I'm good. Why don't you head home?"

"Okay…" I raised an eyebrow and peered down at the letter in my hand. It looked fancy enough. I shrugged and stuffed it back into the envelope. I looked up again and noticed that Fox had disappeared from the room as quickly as he had come in.

"I swear that man is like a ghost…" I muttered under my breath as I pushed back from the desk and stood.

It had been three days since my excursion down into the basement. No one noticed me slipping back into Fox's office afterward thankfully. Because honestly? I think I'd be screwed if people knew I had been snooping around down there.

And Hoo boy did I find some things. Mr. Wayne had been very, very busy it seemed. After being under for less than a minute I had been able to mine so much encrypted data that it left me like a bee flailing in a pool. I wasn't able to get too indepth with since the data had been encrypted with the odd security his phone had had, but I was able to push through my headache to find that Bruce had been buying a lot of specialized gear. Like so much that the cost made me wish I had that many zeroes tagging the end of my paycheck.

After three minutes though I had to get out from the system. The migraine was too much.

It made me curious though...what did Bruce need with the gear he had? I leaned against the desk behind me, my head tilted to look up at the ceiling as I pondered this. I snapped out of my thoughts when my phone chirped at me.

I pulled the device from my pocket and glanced at the message on the screen.

 _So I heard that you are going to the gala next friday...this is dick btw. That smokin hot guy you met in the library and went with you to get ice cream_

I rolled my eyes at that but I couldn't help but be confused.

 _Yeah...sure? how did you get this number?_

A few seconds passed before my phone chirped again.

 _Lucius_

I gazed at the messaged, a little betrayed that Fox had given my number out willy nilly...though Dick was Bruce's son...so I guess it made a little sense...but still.

My phone notified me to another message, _Do you need a date?_

 _I wasnt aware I needed one…_ I typed out. I pushed off the desk and headed to the door of the office I was in.

 _Well you dont really need one per see...but its like highly encouraged. Plus I know someone who needs a date._

I raised an eyebrow. _Oh really?_

 _Yeah, it's jason._

I side eyed the message and tucked my phone to my side as I entered the elevator. When I finally exited it, I saw that Dick had messaged me again.

 _Please? Pretty pretty please? Ill buy you some ice cream._

Hmm...tempting...darn, he knew my weakness (hint: it's free food) and he barely knew me.

 _Fine. Why do you need to get him a date?_

 _Great! I'll make sure he picks you up!_

 _Dick? You didnt answer the question…._

 _What color do you plan on wearing?_

 _Dick why does he need a date_

 _Red? Im thinkin red...yeah definitely red_

 _Dick!_

 _Whoops gotta go_

* * *

"Leslie stop fidgeting. You're messing up my hard work," Beth chastised as she grabbed a wipe and cleaned off the smudged eyeshadow on my eyelids

"Sorry, it tickles," I replied while trying to repress a smile. Beth could get so worked up over somethings. It was funny.

Beth scowled at me but went back to dusting on eye shadow. "Stop smiling. It's not funny. This is serious business here, Les. You're about to go to your first major event for Wayne Enterprises, _and_ you're going with the CEO's adopted son! Since you don't feel inclined to actually doll yourself up, that leaves it to me. I'd be damned if my roommate and best friend went to a gala looking like a hobo."

"Oh come on, I did not look like a hobo!"

Friday had rolled around way too fast in my opinion. I had spent the past week shopping with Beth (who I might add was way more thrilled than I'd think she should be at the event) for a dress and makeup. After picking out a slimming black dress (yeah I did it out of spite, take that Dick), and finding more makeup than I could afford ("Beth...I don't think-" "Nonsense! I'll pay for it, don't worry!"), I was left in suspense for my upcoming "date".

When I told Beth who my date was, she flipped and gushed. I felt weary about it (I mean Dick had acted pretty suspicious), but Beth sternly told me I had to be dressed to the nines by the time Jason came to pick me up. In an effort to humor my friend, I applied my usual winged eyeliner and mascara. Beth, head poking in to check on me, was horrified and sat me down for a full makeover akin to the one on my last date (Let's just hope this one goes marginally better…).

"Okay, maybe not a hobo, but girl you can't just do what you do every other day! This is your time to spice things up," Beth replied. She took a step back from my face, studying her work.

"Are you almost done?" I looked down at my phone in my lap. The screen lit up and showed the time. "They are gonna be here soon…"

Beth waved off my concern. "Don't worry, you still have plenty of time."

A few seconds later I got a text from Dick saying that he was here with Jason and his date. I glanced up at Beth with an 'I-told-you-so-face'. "Well guess what, they're here."

She sheepishly backed away from me and put a hand up to stop me. "Hang on. I'll go stall them. You go put on your shoes and jewelry." Without waiting for a reply, the girl dashed out of the bathroom, her curls bouncing.

I sighed and stood up. My knees popped and I groaned at the feel of being able to stretch. Nothing like being forced to sit in a chair for two hours.

It took a few minutes, but soon I was leaving my dorm and heading downstairs to the front. I stepped outside and shivered. It had been getting colder and colder lately, and I found that I was glad that I had the forethought to bring my coat with me.

Beth stood near the open window of some sleek sports car. It hummed with electricity and I really, really wanted to drive it. It looks so...aesthetically pleasing. I looked up from the car and to the driver. Dick smiled at me and I saw that next to him was Barbara.

She looked dazzling. Her red hair was pinned back in a chignon. She was wearing a sparkling dark blue dress, with a silver necklace strung around her neck. Dick's suit tie matched the dress.

"Aw don't you guys looks cute," I said with a grin. I walked forward and stood next to Beth. "I'm guessing you're his date, Barbara?"

"Unfortunately," Barbara replied teasingly. Dick looked over at her with a frown.

"Don't act like you won't enjoy yourself, Babs," Dick said.

"Can we please get a move on?" A voice murmured from the back seat. I looked over and saw Jason sitting sullenly.

I went over to the back door and had to steady myself with the car when the heel on my shoe got caught on the sidewalk. Beth tutted at me as I slid into the car. "Please don't hurt yourself tonight, Leslie. Last thing I need is you getting a broken ankle."

"Shuddup," I mumbled with a blush.

"Alright, well, nice to meet you Elizabeth. If you don't mind we have to leave before we're late," Dick said as he switched the car's gear from park to drive. Beth stepped back from the car and waved as we drove off.

As the sun slipped behind the horizon, I peered over at Jason. He was staring out the window with his body turned away from me. He looked really broody. I also noticed he didn't have a phone on him. How curious.

"Thanks for coming with us, Leslie," Barbara commented after a few beats of silence.

"Oh it was no problem," I replied giving her a smile when she looked back at me.

Jason gave an almost inaudible huff. Dick glared at him from the rearview mirror, but the teen studiously ignored him. A tense undercurrent permeated the car, and I awkwardly looked out the window. I got there distinct feeling I wasn't an appreciated add-on in Jason's mind.

The car ride for the most part felt tense, and even though Barbara attempted to start up conversations with me, most everyone was silent. I passed the time by looking at the city blurring by and occasionally looking over at Jason.

"So," I started as I twiddled my thumbs, "Any reason _why_ you needed me to come with you guys as Jason's date?"

Barbara, who had been talking lowly with Dick, paused and looked back at me. I couldn't tell for sure, but she looked a little...guilty?

Huh.

"Well…" Barbara fumbled. She looked over at Dick.

"Just say it, Barbie. Apparently I 'need a babysitter'," Jason growled out. He glared over at the redhead, and I felt myself sinking further into my seat.

Barbara's face turned condescending and she opened her mouth to retort. Jason however lifted a hand and grumbled, "Save it. We all know it's true. No need to make it seem like it's something that it's not."

"Jason, stop moping. You know what Bruce said," Dick interjected.

"Bruce isn't here right now is he?" Jason replied.

The Car gave a sudden lurch and the radio suddenly became louder. Barbara's head whipped the the radio and struggled to turn it down as the sound blasted through the car's speakers. Jason had his hands covering his ears and he was yelling something I couldn't make out.

Instead I sunk further in my seat and cursed my powers. The car had sensed my distress and had acted out when my empathy had latched onto it.

"What is going on? Dick!" Barbara frantically pressed the off button on the radio.

"It wasn't me!" Dick yelled back, looking a little bit freaked out.

"Oh so the car just started freaking out on its own, did it? I swear Grayson." Jason bit out before turning back to the window.

I took a huge gulp of air and forced myself to calm down. The jerking of the car soon ceased and Dick was back to steering the car smoothly to wherever the gala was being held. I noted that his grip on the wheel was tight enough that his knuckles were turning white.

"What the hell was that," Barbara muttered into the silence that followed. No one replied.

* * *

The party was...well everything I sorta expected it to be. When we arrived, we were guided up an over-the-top staircase to a large room lit with a warm glow. People mingled about on the floor below us, and Dick went to join them with Barbara in tow. He looked back at Jason and I only once to give Jason a stern look that I perceived to be a warning. Of course the broody teen just huffed and marched down to the dance floor.

I followed almost reluctantly. After their little argument in the car (and my sorta lapse in control), I didn't actually feel inclined to hang around Jason. Especially since he didn't even bother to mask his obvious lack of wanting me around. But I floated behind him, making sure that my eyes never left him as he trekked his way to a relatively secluded area.

"You don't have to follow me, you know," Jason bit out as he rounded on me.

I blinked. "But...you're kinda my date?"

"So? Doesn't mean you have to follow me around like a lost puppy. Why don't you go get a drink or something. Or, I know, Why don't you go trip over some guy and ruin his night that way? Maybe spill that drink on him."

"Hey, no need to be rude." My previous calm melted into annoyance. What was this kid's problem? "Don't take your anger out on me, buddy. I'm just trying to be polite here and honor my promise to be your date."

"Yeah? Well consider your promise honored and scram." The light bulbs nearest us flickered, and I heard a few surprised murmurs as a few people patted their pockets and purses for their beeping phones.

"Wow, what did I ever do to you, asshole? You know what, bye. If you're gonna be like this I can see why Dick asked me to be your babysitter. You act just like a child." I turned away from him. I had to force myself not to stomp away as I tried to put as much distance between us as I could. I could the feel the electricity in the air dancing on my skin. I wouldn't be surprised if I shocked anyone from them just being near me.

Once I was clear across the room, I paused and swiped a glass from a waiter floating by. Not even bothering to check what it was, I gulped down the drink. The sparkly flavor of champagne and the bitterness of alcohol coated my tongue and I gagged. "Oh gross," I muttered as I stared down at my drink in disgust. Did this gala have to live up to cliches?

Sighing I leaned back against the wall and tilted my head back with my eyes closed. After a few seconds, I felt my heart rate calm down and the electricity on my skin dissipate. Letting out another sigh I pushed off the wall and went to mingle. Might as well make connections while I'm here, right?

I spent a good hour after that floating around talking to people...well not really talking. More like standing there, smiling and nodding as some socialite prattled on and on about their thing though to these people. Occasionally I would spot Dick or Barbara, but I didn't see Jason. Not that I cared.

I was in the middle of a weathered woman yakking to me about her Yorkie when a a clang sounded around the room that had everyone stopped what they were doing and quiet down. A man strolled onto the stage set on the far edge of the room, with lights aimed at the stage causing him to appear like a other lights around the area turned off, and a murmur started up.

"Now, now, everybody, no need to worry," crooned the man. A shiver went down my spine. He didn't sound right.

I backed away from the woman beside me and slowly made my way to a table. Out of the corner of my eyes I spotted a hulking shape push its way through the crowd.

"The party is just about to get started. You sir, what do you think you're doin'?" A spotlight swiveled over to point at a rotund man who was trying to skitter out a door. He gulped visibly when the light landed on his red face, and I felt uneasy as he shuffled to stand tall. He mouthed something but his voice was so low that it barely carried. The figure on stage did a twirl with his arm and placed his hand near his ear. "Pardon, what was that, friend?"

"I-I have to go," The other man said unsteadily.

" _Tsk, tsk_ , Leaving already? We can't have you leaving! Geoff, why don't you escort our man to the stage?"

The shape I had seen out the corner of my eye stepped forward and grasped at the round man's arm. He jerked him away from the door and dragged him over to the stage. When they passed by me, I spotted a gun tucked in the band of 'Geoff's' pants, and I felt the tingles in my spine ...something definitely was wrong.

The crowd parted to let the men through. The man on stage let out a maniacal giggle as he enthusiastically waved them on stage. The spot lights swiveled around to where the man on stage became lit up.

I felt my knees wobble and almost give out from beneath me. My hand flew to the table beside me so I could steady myself. Standing in a purple suit, the Joker looked more scary than I thought he'd be. I'd seen him in multiple news articles, and I've even caught a police report or two on the crimes this man committed. In his photos, he always looked a tad crazy (or smug). Seeing it relatively up close though was a different story.

His green hair was slicked back (was it dyed?), and white facepaint seemed to emphasize every grotesque thing about the man. His smile was downright creepy, and his eyes held the gleam of a madman with nothing to lose. I shuddered when he looked in my direction, but his eyes quickly darted away to other parts of the crowd.

"Now Geoff, be a dear and make our man comfortable so that we can show everyone how we treat guests who are rude, hm?"

The crowd gave out agitated whispers and a few moved to the doors, Of course they were blocked when a few more of the Joker's goons slithered out from the fringes of the crowd. They looked as intimidating as Joker himself, faces painted white and guns held against thier chests.

The round man on stage was kicked in the back of his knee by Geoff, and he crumpled to the ground with a cry. Geoff yanked both hands behind the man's back and procured a zipline tie to bind the round man's wrists. With a gun pressed against the round man's head, Geoff looked expectantly at the Joker.

"Now...does everyone have thier wallets on them? Yes? Great! Alright boys, go ahead and grab them for me, would ya? Better hurry before my lovely batsy friend comes by and drops in. I would suggest you all cooperate. I'd hate to have to make an example of this fine gentleman."

The crowd around me erupted in noise. I ducked down in surprise when one of the goons fired their gun into the air. Everyone froze and the Joker held out his hands as if to placate them. "Now, now, no need to make a fuss. Just do as I said and then we can get out of here."

People reluctantly dug into purses and pockets to give to the henchmen that rifled through the crowd. I didn't bother, and instead I looked around me to see what I could do. I couldn't just stand there, I mean I technically had the means to do something, right? Despite the bravado I tried to summon up, all I could feel was my heart pounding away in my chest, and the phones and other electronics attempting to calm me down.

The lights on stage flickered in time with my heartbeat, and the Joker peered up at them in curiosity. I backed up and accidentally bumped into a few people. The lights finally stabilized after I consciously told them to stop, but I had to place my hands over my mouth and close my eyes in order to calm down.

Suddenly, one of the glass windows shattered and a round black object bounced onto the floor. The ball bounced a few feet before stopping just short of the stage. About half a second passed when the ball spurted out giant plumes of smoke.

After that I heard the sound of yelling and gunfire. I felt the people around me bump into me as they struggled to escape the scene, and I was knocked down to the floor when one person carelessly pushed me aside. I hissed in pain as my hip knocked into the hard floor, but I forced myself to curl into a ball to avoid being stepped on. When I was able to get a reprieve from the stampede, I crawled over to the table and ducked underneath it.

The sounds from the stage and center of the room were muffled by the table skirt, and I took a second to compose myself. Before I could get very far in that endeavour, the table suddenly collapsed on me. I shrieked and rolled over a bit but found that my legs were caught by one of Joker's goons who had been thrown onto the table. He groaned as I attempted to tug my leg out from underneath him. The man opened his eyes and when he caught sight of me, he reached over and went to grab for my arm.

I yelped and attempted to kick at him. Of course that didn't really work (duh, your leg's caught, Leslie, what were you thing? Oh, right, you weren't). The man rolled over to where he was straddling my hips, and I started to freak out.

"What the fuck are you doing! Get off me! Get off! Get off!" I yelled as I struggled to push him off. The man placed his gun in the center of my forehead and I paused.

"Now girly, you're gonna help me you hear? No funny business, ya hear?" He threatened as he leaned over me.

"Yes, I hear you asshole, now get off of me!"

"I think you should listen to what the lady says," Commented a figure out of my visual range. The man atop me didn't get a chance to reply as he was suddenly yanked off me and thrown. I tilted my head back and saw Robin as he faced off with multiple henchmen. Just beyond him I noticed a black figure chasing after the Joker as he darted out through the broken window.

I scrambled to my feet, kicking off my heels in the process. When I was relatively able to stand, I took off in a sprint to the nearest door. Right as I was about to reach it, I felt a pain like any other tear through the muscle above my right calf. I shrieked and crumpled to the floor.

I turned my head to look and see who shot me (I mean nothing else could hurt this badly, could it?) and spotted the man who had landed on me. Robin, too preoccupied with three other goons, hadn't noticed the man stalking towards me. I attempted to scoot further from him (of course I wasn't fast enough).

He reached down and grabbed my hair and yanked me to my feet. I noted he had a bloody nose, but soon all I could focus on was the pain radiating from my scalp. I hissed like a cat and attempted to claw at the hand in my hair. I felt the gun tuck itself right under my chest.

"Just because you had the bird boy try to save ya, don't mean you're safe girly," the man growled.

I glared, about to retort until I noticed the electric chandelier above us. I called out to it with my empathy, and watched in satisfaction as it started to slowly move back and forth.

"Guess you're right, buddy. But...just because I look harmless doesn't mean I am."

The chandelier, due to the force of it being swung, snapped apart from its chain and came crashing down on us. I attempted to tug myself from the man's grip but felt a shot of fear when I realized I couldn't.

Well...shit.

The chandelier's crash sounded like shattering glass. One of the branches of lights knocked me on the head and I felt a roaring pain. All I could think was that I was lucky the majority of the the thing didn't crash on me. But, because the man still had his hand tangled in my hair, I went down right along with him.

The room dimmed, though I don't think it was the lights. The edges of my vision blackened and I reached up to pry my hair from the guy's slacked grip worked in my favor, and I slowly pushed myself along the floor. It was sticky, and I didn't wanna think about why it was sticky.

"Well," I rasped as I found myself stuck (Once more) under one of the arms digging into my back. "This didn't exactly go like I wanted."

I blinked heavily and felt my head slump to the ground.

Oh.

Whoops.

I blacked out.

Well...let's hope I don't die in my sleep from a concussion.

* * *

 _I got a ao3 account. It's under the same user name as this one. Oh and the song at the beginning is a reference to fallout 4 (I had that song stuck in my head for a while...) It's called Pistol Packing Mama for those of you who want to hear it._

 _idk when I'll update again. Hopefully by next month?_


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